Innocence of Silence
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: *SMacked* When a crime scene comes up with another girl's eyelids taken off, Mac knows he has to keep his cool if he's going to get Clay Dobson for murder. Personal issues arise when Stella begins getting stalked by the serial himself...
1. Interlude: Whoever It Is

**I am Shining Zephyr, and I, well… I'm beginning to love CSI: ****New York****. By the way… 'Past Imperfect.' Shoot me, please. I love that episode. Alas, it's not in this one. It's semiAU. And Dobson isn't dead… yet. –growls-**

**I don't own CSI: ****New York****, though. Hope you enjoy this story!**

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1. Interlude: Whoever It Is

"Results from the knife clearly indicate that the girl was stabbed to death," a lab tech acknowledged, his brown hair messed up and green eyes scanning the paper. He handed it to his boss, who also had brown hair, but intense blue eyes instead of the calming green. Adam Ross looked up towards Detective Mac Taylor, who scanned the paper. It was another day in Manhattan, New York, and another murder case had both men stumped for answers.

The lead CSI nodded. "Nice work, Adam. Run with it and let's see what we get." Just as he finished his sentence, his phone rang and he pulled it out. " Taylor… all right, I'm coming."

Adam began typing up data, not looking away from his work. "Another scene."

"Another scene," Mac agreed, walking out of the room and putting the folder on his desk.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Don Flack stood in the room, observing Mac walk in with his kit, setting it down, and snapping on some gloves. "Name's Selena Maridel. Age seventeen, goes to Midtown High. Or, used to. Family says she's been missing for around four months now. Murdered by one hand, slashed into pieces. Almost."

Mac looked at the body and swallowed. "Looks like she went through hell," he muttered, beginning to snap pictures of the girl and the scene around her. "Makes you wonder how many killers out there are willing to do this to some innocent woman." Blood stains in the carpet looked to be about three weeks old as Mac snapped more photos and leaned down over the other stains. He took out a swab and wet it with some water before swabbing the carpet. He placed it into a small container and handed it to Flack. "Trace ASAP," he instructed.

"I'm out," Flack replied, hurrying out the door.

Footsteps were heard outside, and Mac turned around to see Stella Bonasera walking into the room, her facing paling over. "Whoa."

"I know," Mac told her grimly, picking up his camera again. "It's bad. Not like self-mutilation. Someone cut her into pieces, and I want to know who."

"Don't we all." Stella felt around the body, checking her temperature. "She's been gone for about two days, Mac. Why couldn't someone find her?"

Mac shrugged. "Girl's name is Selena Maridel. It's itching me to know who would do something like this, Stella."

Stella nodded and turned her over on her back. There was an sharp inward gasp as she examined her thoroughly. She bit her lip and looked at her coworker. "Mac."

He came from another room after snapping more photos and walked over to where she was standing. One look at her, and that was all he needed to see. The girl had no eyelids. He tensed up. "Damn," he muttered angrily.

She snapped more pictures, ignoring Mac's bending down motion. "Do you see what I see?" she asked.

"I do," he replied. "I've got bruising on her arms and legs, not to mention upper body portions, such as her chest and her rip cage area." He glanced at Stella, who was busily swabbing her legs. "You?"

"A nasty feeling of who did this and emotions welling up," she replied. "Anyways, I'm going to get this back to the lab. Maybe it'll have some kind of residue on it for what weapon the killer used. Although judging by the signature…"

Mac's eyes narrowed. "No comment, Stell. Get that stuff to the lab and tell Adam we need info on mutilation serials and… well, I think it's safe to say that no one else has the signature of cutting off girls' eyelids."

Stella out a hand on Mac's shoulder. "Come on, Mac. Take it easy."

"If you say so," he muttered, taking a deep breath. Deep in his mind, though, he was already forming theories of what could have happened to Selena. Given that she had long brown hair and blue eyes, it would have made sense that the killer would go after her. Clay Dobson had done the same thing five years ago, but with Truby in jail and Dobson out… well, Mac wanted to put away the serial for good.

Hopefully it would start with a bit of the evidence and a lot of digging.

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**This is not a typical case fic. In fact, it kind of… well, I'll just say that this fic is going to really go into the deep zone. SMacked… I'm a fan, can't you tell? Anyways, reviews are appreciated and are rewarded with cookies! And if you take an extra, I won't do anything to you. Promise.**


	2. Deep Fear

**Eh. You like, I like, we all like. –glomps reviewers- Thanks to clairec12344, Melosa16, shawdoo, magic-munchies, and VaveAma92 for reviewing. And to the four of you who have already alerted this… kudos!**

**_WARNINGS: Indecent language at one point_**

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2. Deep Fear

Sid Hammerback looked up from the body and at Mac's straight face, noting his white-clenched hands. "I'll only say this," he told the detective, pulling back the sheet that covered the girl. "It's almost like reliving a nightmare from the past of five years ago." He pointed to her eyes, which were open and terrified, as if she had witnessed hell itself. "The eyelids are cut off, so take a wild guess at who did this."

"No need to," Mac replied, finding it suddenly hard to swallow. "I think I took a good enough stab at the scene." He forced himself to look at the rest of the covered body. "Any signs of sexual activity?"

Sid shook his head. "The killer didn't rape her, but he definitely tried to practically skin her. This guy definitely knew what he was doing, and he wanted to have Selena see it. My guess is… you're dealing with Clay Dobson, that weirdo that got out a couple months ago."

The detective sighed and nodded. Typical response from every person that had seen the body. 'Clay Dobson, serial killer.' He had a distinguished signature of cutting off the eyelids of the women he murdered. Unless they were dealing with an honest-to-god copycat killer, he knew it was the man from prison. Mac looked at the medical examiner, nodded his thanks, and walked out of the room…

Right into Inspector Stan Gerrard. The Internal Affairs agent looked at Mac. "Someone's up in a knot."

"I'm not in the mood, Gerrard," Mac muttered, lost in thought.

"Neither am I," the agent retorted, falling in step with the CSI. "What's this I'm getting about a romance with you and Detective Bonasera?"

Mac looked up, his face one of confusion and anger etching itself into the lines. "Excuse me? You believe I'm in a relationship with Stella?" He snorted. "That's not the first time I've heard that rumor, and it probably won't be the last." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of Sierra Mist, opening it and taking a swig.

"Uh-huh," Gerrard replied skeptically. "Listen, what's this about a new case with Clay Dobson being a suspect?"

Mac glared at him. "You don't need to know the details yet," he snapped. "I'm narrowing down the possibilities, but it's kind of hard when you're prancing around my lab like a reindeer on Christmas Eve. So why don't you just butt out?"

The inspector gave his coworker an incredulous look. "I can't butt out on files like these!" he argued, giving Mac the sign that this was going to be a long argument. "Damn, Taylor, why don't you come up with a different theory? I know you're upset on his release, but why would you already accuse him of a crime you can't prove he committed?!"

"Fuck off!" Mac snarled, who was rarely one for swearing at team members. Today, though, he couldn't help it. He stormed off to the DNA Lab, Gerrard at his heels.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, Montana," Danny Messer called out, taking a sheet from the printer and examining it. "These the results Mac and Stella got at the crime scene this morning?"

The brown-haired woman nodded, taking a look over the results as well. "It's her blood all right, but the unidentified blood could belong to the killer's," she acknowledged. "Maybe it's Clay Dobson, the one Mac's on a run for."

Her friend tilted his head, thinking and listening. "Definitely a possibility there, Linds. But for now, I think we should work on something else."

"Like what?" she asked, looking confused.

"Something besides a file that Gerrard could be snooping on," he replied, pointing to beyond the glass door. The mouths of Mac Taylor and Inspector Gerrard were moving, and judging by the looks people were giving the duo, Danny had enough experience to know there was an argument going on. He glanced at Lindsay, who frowned and grinned. "So, this relationship between Mac and Stell… you think it's work related or personal?"

Lindsay noted her boss's angry voice outside and worded her answer carefully. "I think they like each other as friends, but one of them wants to take it a little farther."

BAM.

The door to the office slammed open as Mac walked in with Gerrard at his heels. The duo looked at each other with hateful glares before the agent finally exited the lab. Mac sighed and looked at Danny and Lindsay, who were pretending to read the results. "Well, my results. Did they come in?"

Danny nodded and handed hi the sheet of paper. "You got it, Mac. Here ya go," he told his mentor and gave him the slip of paper.

Stella walked in seconds later, looking either extremely agitated or nervous. She motioned to Mac, who nodded and walked with her until they got into a private place. She whipped out a piece of paper. "Did you send me this?" she asked, looking harried.

Her friend looked confused. "I haven't used the mail service in here for months, Stell. What did you get?"

"This." She handed the paper to her friend, who took it and began to read:

_Miss Stella Bonasera,_

_It has come to my attention that you are in love with someone here at the __New York__ Crime-Lab. Although I am not certain I can say who it is, I know for a fact that they are getting in my way to your heart. If at all possible, I would love to meet you and talk about a mutual relationship outside of the workforce. Please call me at (871) 946-5521 tonight at __eleven o'clock_

_-An admirer of yours_

Mac frowned. He glanced at Stella, who looked equally upset. "And you have no idea who sent this to you?"

She shook her head.

"All right, here's what I want you to do. Call this… person tonight, and I'll trace the call from somewhere here in the lab. I have extra paperwork I need to do anyways."

Stella sighed. "If you're going to be listening to it… okay, I'll do it."

Mac pulled her into a tight embrace and let go when he noticed Gerrard peeking in through a window. "We'd better get back to work," he instructed, noting the triumphant smile on his coworker's face. "Who knows what could happen if…"

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**Who sent her that note? That is for me to know and for you to sit in suspense at. Reviews are wonderful- they are a gift from the reader. And in this case… -pulls out muffin platter this time- Pick a muffin. Just press the button, please and thank you!**


	3. Phone Calls Galore

**Hmmm. What's this about a stalking involving Joey Laurence's serial killer character? And romance? And Mac getting pissed off at the world? Um, I really don't know. I just came up with this on Friday. So… I have to thank **clairec12344, Lionessmon, Tonks, jules1031, magic-munchies, Melosa16, shawdoo, none, Carrro, and ImaSupernaturalCSI** for reviewing. Kudos to you all for reading this.**

**Special thanks to none. I had to go back and reread my stupid error of timeline… -smacks self angrily-**

**And to **ImaSupernaturalCSI**- she cleared up a name problem for me. –swears in French- And I don't even know the language…**

**_Warnings: MAJOR _overhaul and epic suckage on my part.**

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3. Phone Calls Galore

Mac rubbed his head and glanced down at his paperwork. It would have gone a lot faster if he didn't have his mind on Stella's emotions and Gerrard's reaction in the afternoon to seeing two coworkers together in a friendly atmosphere. When it came to personal ideals, though, Mac really didn't have that many people to turn to except for Stella. Claire was dead, and his coworkers nearly laughed at him every time he said it had something to do with Stella. Not in a mean sort of way, but a teasing banter. And frankly, it sometimes annoyed him.

He began writing when there was a knock on the door. Still staring down at the paper, he called out, "It's open."

Stella walked in a moment later, holding her cell phone and looking very weary. "Mac, it's ten-fifty at night. Are you sure I should call him? I mean, what if it's someone from the past or anything?"

Mac glanced up from his paperwork and put down his pen. He got up and wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. He had never really seen her like this, and it worried him to death. He'd never tell her that, though. It could make or break a relationship with her. Besides, he was in one with someone else, but with the way Stella was acting right now, he was very tempted to go and break it. "Listen to me, Stell," he muttered in her ear, cupping her chin. "I understand you're scared. But I promise you. If anything happens, I will be there to make everything better."

The female detective laughed weakly as she walked with him to the AV Lab. "You make it sound as if I'm in another place and not the lab," she teased.

He looked down at his watch. "Eleven o'clock," he told her, setting himself at a computer and rubbing his head. Food, drink, anything sounded nice right about now. But he understood that this phone call was important to Stella's life, and her request on listening in to the call and making it sure this guy was safe was definitely higher in priorities than his survival.

Okay, maybe not that high. But it still needed to be done.

Stella dialed in the number, waiting for only two rings until a suave male tone came over the line. _"Hello."_

She swallowed. "I'm Stella Bonasera."

_"Ah, yes,"_ the voice continued. Stella signaled to Mac, who immediately typed something in on the keyboard, the conversation now coming in over speaker phone. She left the lab, leaving Mac alone to listen to the talk. He typed in some more things, the messages now being recorded on audio. _"Miss Stella Bonasera. I was waiting for you."_

"I can tell," she replied, biting the inside of her mouth. "So, who are you?"

_"A secret admirer,"_ the male voice continued over the line. _"One that has wanted your companionship for the last six years. However, it appeared that you were going out with someone in that time frame. After nine-eleven and all…"_

She raised an eyebrow. "Funny. Can I get a name?"

The voice sounded hushed. _"Not yet, Stell,"_ he told her. _"Secret admirers aren't supposed to give away who they are. It's a secret."_

Stella rolled her eyes. Mac's brow furrowed. "So I've heard," she replied evenly into the phone. "Should I recognize you by some sort of appearance, or are you going to be living in the shadow of doubt for as long as you can?"

He laughed. _"You aren't easy to fool, m'lady. I'll only say this: don't tell Mac __Taylor__ that I love you. I admire your abilities. And to tell you the truth, I wish it was you and me, not him."_

Mac growled softly.

"When would you like to meet, dear?" she asked, nearly gagging on the name.

He was quiet for a moment. _"Tomorrow, the Starbucks on __52nd Street_ _Noon__."_

She nodded. "I can do that." She hung up the phone, walked back into the AV Lab and collapsed on a spare seat.

Mac sat there in silence for a long time. "Seemed to take his sweet time on there, huh?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I gotta get home, Mac. See you at work tomorrow?"

"Mmm," he mumbled, now examining the phone call. "'Night, Stell."

It was 11:08 PM.

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The phone was ringing on the nightstand next to where he slept. Flack unconsciously slapped at it, murmuring, "Five more minutes. Damn, is that too much to ask?"

The phone continued to ring.

He finally sighed and got up, reading the caller ID and picked up. "Detective Flack."

"Don," a tired voice on the other end replied. "I need to know something. When you last saw Dobson in the jail cell, were there any women around?"

"Aw, hell, Mac," he moaned, looking at the clock. 11:24 PM. "Why're you asking me this now?"

Mac's voice sounded slightly irritated. "Tell me."

Flack rolled back onto his bed, pulling up the covers. _"Yes,"_ he replied tersely. "Can I go back to bed now?"

_Click._

"I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled, shutting his phone and putting it back on the table. He was snoring moments later.

11:28 PM.

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Mac typed through the files on his computer. No sleep, some food, a lot of caffeine. Not that he was addicted to it by any stretch of the imagination, but he needed it right now. He looked through countless files about any sort of voice pattern or such for the past, but when he called Flack, he began running cellmates who were with serial killer Clay Dobson.

There were three women cellmates who had had affairs with Dobson a couple of years ago. They weren't cell mates with the man, to be honest, but they did go and see him from time to time. The women had begged and pleaded to visit their old flame from long ago and far away in the prison where he once resided. Officials had reluctantly agreed, seeing as there was probably no harm in allowing them to view Dobson through a window. It seemed harmless enough for a long while, until one day, tragedy struck the female prison.

One of the women hung herself. She had apparently been told that he no longer loved her, never wanted to see her face again.

It could have been his fault, right?

He leaned back in his chair. It was possible, but a very slim possibility.

But Dobson wasn't a stalker, right?

He turned off the computer and sighed, laying his head on the desk. He didn't move from there for a long few hours.

11:34 PM.

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**Dang hiccups... I hate this fic right now... -Revised September 29, 2008-**


	4. Misconception

**Um, wow. This became a bigger hit than I expected. Seriously. Many gracious thanks to magic-munchies, ImaSupernaturalCSI, ritagracia45, Lionessmon, Carrro, Stella Taylor16, clairec12344, shawdoo, Melosa16, and cryingblacktears for reviewing. No wonder I keep updating… **

**_Warnings: Some violence and some language_**

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4. Misconception

"Mac… Mac, get up!"

A laugh was heard nearby. "Splash some water on his face, Stell. Maybe he'll get up then."

Mac drowsily picked up Stella's irritated tone. "Nothing's going to wake him from his needed-beauty sleep, Flack. When did he call you?"

Flack's face furrowed. "Um, eleven-something, I think."

"Eleven-_twenty_-something," Mac muttered groggily. "Am I supposed to remember specifics in my sleep, or am I going through a phase?"

Flack roared with laughter while Stella's face was nearly livid. "Mac Taylor, you were supposed to be up two hours ago!"

He finally opened his eyes. Her face was right in his, green eyes filled with anger. Mac did have to admit, she looked beautiful when irritated. He lifted his head and rubbed his face, shaking his whole body to awake himself from previous slumber. Glancing at the clock, his eyes widened with shock. It was 7:45, and the case hadn't really picked up speed. Mac groaned. "Do we have anything new today?"

She shook her head. "No new evidence, but an old face."

His heart sank. "Gerrard."

Flack nodded grimly. "Said something about you being an ass to him yesterday. That wouldn't surprise me, given your relationship with him. I wouldn't be surprised if you shoved someone in here out the window and you'd get fired."

"I'd love to shove _him_ out the window," Mac growled, getting up from the desk and going out of the lab. He shut the door behind him and marched off to the lounge.

Stella raised an eyebrow, anger slightly smoldered. "He's got to go home and change before the Deputy gets here. Otherwise, we're all going to get relieved for having our boss smell of computer and Mac-Taylorness."

Flack raised an eyebrow. "'Mac-Taylorness'?"

She sighed. "Don't ask."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was 9:00 by the time Mac was back in the office and working on the case. He examined the knife from the crime scene, taking notes and swabbing for DNA. He rolled his eyes, finally tired of the snickering and glanced at Danny and Lindsay, who were trying to cover their mouths. "Do you have something you want to tell me, you two?"

Lindsay shook her head, her face growing red. "No, Mac. Nothing at all."

Danny quit laughing a moment later. "Heh. No wonder. Look who's coming."

Mac turned around and growled like a lion. Inspector Gerrard was strutting in the direction of the lab and seemingly whistling through the hallways. That was saying something, for he could whistle as well as he sang- and he couldn't sing for _squat._ He opened the door and called out, "Mac! Do you have a minute?"

The detective bit his lip, turning his gaze towards Lindsay. "Can I expect to see this evidence processed by the time I come back?"

She nodded, immediately going back to work.

Mac followed Gerrard out into the hallway and into the private lounge. When inside with the door shut, Gerrard rounded on Mac and nearly pinned him against the wall. One hand was close to Mac's body, a look of fury in his eyes. "What the hell is this about you seeing Stella in the hallways and helping her track someone in Manhattan?"

"What proof do you have I'd do that sort of thing?" Mac snapped back.

"I've got a tape of you recording a conversation between Detective Bonasera and another person last night at around 11:14 at night! What do you think you were doing?"

Mac's eyes were shooting daggers. "She had a feeling someone might've been trying to follow her, and she wanted me to keep an eye on her." He pushed the internal affairs agent back. "What's this about getting in my face and taking all of this out on me?"

"You're having a mutual relationship with a coworker," Gerrard growled, seemingly riled from the gesture Mac showed him. "I will not accept that in my lab!"

The CSI detective began to laugh derisively. "Your lab? So now you're going after my job! What's next, my badge? Oh, wait, you're already doing that!" He glared at Gerrard hatefully. "You know what? You're an ass!"

SMACK!

Mac winced in pain and put his hand up to his face. Gerrard had managed to slap him with the force of a train wreck. " Taylor, you had better shape up," he whispered. He glanced at his watch. "It's 11:50. You've got eight hours until I come back, then we can take this in a gentleman sort of sense. Until then, don't go near her."

With that, he left the room.

Mac walked out of the lounge still rubbing his face, nearly knocking into Stella, who was holding her purse. She looked at him, confused. "Hey. You alright?"

"I'm fine," he muttered, too upset to even give her a hug. "Let's get out of here. Go to that coffee place or something."

Stella's eyes furrowed. "Mac, you alright?"

"I'm fine," he repeated, pulling her into the elevator. "Just… just pissed off at Gerrard."

The doors shut to the lab. Stella looked into Mac's eyes. "What happened? We all heard yelling coming from the lounge. Did you two have a fight or something?"

"More than a fight," he told her wearily and recalled the accounts for her. When he had finished, her eyes had widened and her hand was covering her mouth.

She was quiet before talking. "Don't listen to him, Mac. I know he said not to go near me and all, but just don't listen to him. He needs to learn that it's perfectly fine to do that sort of thing. Besides…" The doors opened, and they walked out into the street together. It was windy and brisk in the April air. "…look at Danny and Lindsay."

"Since when did I listen to that bastard?" he mumbled. She laughed.

Little did the happy couple know that fate was going to pull them apart… and Mac was only going to get abused more and more. Not only by Gerrard, but by another man.

A serial killer known as Clay Dobson…

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**A cliffhanger. How typical. –smiles- Well, here you go. –puts out brownie platter- They're all yours if you leave a review or something. Much love, friends.**


	5. Secretly Admiring

**Um, yeah. I'm trying to go as fast as I can. Glad you like this story. thinks Thanks to magic-munchies, ImaSupernaturalCSI, shawdoo, clairec12344, Lionessmon, and Scorpii for reviewing.**

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5. Secretly Admiring

Stella looked around in the Starbucks, noting the time. It was 12:05 in the afternoon, and she was standing in line waiting for her admirer to come through the door at any moment. There was a strange sense of uneasiness going through her stomach as she began to dig through her purse for a gift card. What if he was just like Frankie… abusing and… yeah, abusing? She shook herself out of her fantasy. He couldn't be that bad. He wouldn't be.

Mac wouldn't let that happen.

"Ma'am?"

She blinked. The woman at the register looked at her politely. "What would you like today?"

"Oh," Stella mumbled and smiled. "Just a regular coffee."

The cashier nodded and yelled out the order to someone in the back, who began to pour away and the she looked out the window. She knew that Mac was watching her somewhere from afar, as to not attract suspicion to whoever had decided to meet her. Stella thought it wasn't really necessary of him to do such a thing, but then again, he always got worked up into a frenzy about these sorts of things. Could he help it? Most likely, but she didn't want him to. That's what made him so… lovable.

She took her coffee and sat by the window, looking out. Just on the other side of the window, she saw Mac, who appeared to be reading a magazine of some sort. Deep down, though, she knew he was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, making sure she was still all right with this sort of thing.

The door opened to the coffee shop.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He took a sip of the tasteless cappuccino and shook his head, sighing and reading the only magazine lying around: a_ Sports Illustrated_. Something told him that this might not have been the best time to be flipping through that vast knowledge of basketball and soccer, but what else was he supposed to be doing?

Nothing, he guessed.

The door opened to Starbucks.

Mac looked up. Someone was sitting at Stella's table with her, but he couldn't distinguish any sort of features of the man. He kicked himself. Least he could've done was go with her into the shop, but that would attract suspicion from other customers. They'd wonder what he was doing, and all wouldn't be well. Stalkers, they would probably accuse him. Given that New York was more uptight about those around them, that wouldn't surprise him.

He put down the paper and got up from the table, throwing out what was left of the drink into the trash and walking out into the brisk winds of Manhattan. There was a song running through his head, and as he tried to shake it off, the lyrics began to run through his head, but he didn't feel like mumbling them under his breath. Singing in Japanese was already embarrassing enough.

He opened the door and went straight to the back of the room, where he didn't have to see anything and picked up a magazine, pretending to once again read it, but instead peered over the top of the cover. He nearly dropped the book. Clay Dobson had a look of complete calm on his face and was talking to Stella, who was trying to look comfortable. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't do anything but smile and grimace fearfully. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but it didn't help.

This was Stella's secret admirer?! The serial killer that had murdered two women? Okay, one so far, but Mac was determined to get him for another one. He wanted to throw up and storm over, barging in on their little 'party' together. He took another deep breath. 'Come on, Mac,' he thought bitterly. 'You can catch him for murder _and _flirting with a coworker with whom you love, right?'

The door opened again. He quit glazing and watched Dobson walk out of the Starbucks. Immediately, he wandered over to Stella, who finally quit trying to hold back her fear. She took a deep breath and put her face in her hands. Mac slipped into the seat where the serial sat and put his hand on hers. "Stell," he whispered.

"I don't know what to do, Mac!" she sobbed. He reached over for a napkin, the only available piece of paper and handed it to her. "God, he wants to go out with me and get to know me more, but the look in his eyes… it showed death!"

"Ssssh," he soothed quietly. He got up, helping her to her feet. "It's all done, Stella. It's done. What did he tell you?"

She let go of his hand. "A date in two days involving a night out and dinner with a movie," she sniffed. "I… I don't know if I can do it…"

Mac opened the door for her and led her out the door. Something was wrong about all this. No killings today? Eyes of death?

Why Stella?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Do you really think I can pull it off?" the man asked in his office, all doors locked and shades down so no one would walk in unexpectedly.

_"I'm sure it will, work,"_ Dobson's cool voice came over the line. _"It's perfectly planned. All I need is an opportunity. It plays perfectly into the plan." _

This made the figure all the more uneasy. "I don't know, Dobson. Something seems fishy about this. What if he manages to catch me or something on the job?"

_"Damn, quit worrying!"_ he snarled over the line. _"It's all going to work out just fine, like I said! Really, lighten up. If worst comes to worst, you can tell me what's going on and I'll find him and kill him. Maybe I'll kill her instead." _

He swallowed. "All right. I'll call you later."

With that, he hung up the phone and opened the blinds. 1:54 PM.

He'd meet with him in a couple of hours. Only this time, he wouldn't be so friendly with him. He'd try and kill him.

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**Heh. I hope you love this as much as I am writing it. I do have a song running through my head right now. Lyrics are going to be spaced out through the story now in the beginning. –places out dessert pizza- Reviews are appreciated. Much love, friends. **


	6. Out of the Night

**Updates are becoming more spaced out. Bad Shining! **

_Isn't that the truth. Thanks to shawdoo, magic-munchies, clairec12344, ImaSupernaturalCSI, and ForensicsFreak1988 for reviewing. Yeah, and I don't own Hikari by Hikaru Utada. Yes, that song from "Kingdom Hearts."_

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Donna toki datte  
Tada hitori de  
Unmei wasurete  
Ikite kita no ni  
Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru  
Mayonaka ni

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

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6. Out of the Night 

7:00 PM. Another day had whizzed by for the New York Crime Lab, and Stella was ready to go home after a long day of processing and meeting her secret admirer. Although, somehow she knew that something bad was going to happen tonight, and she could help but worry for Mac's safety in the lab by himself. She walked into the office and began taking her time in simply staring at him and watching him work. Mac looked up and back down at his work. "Detective Bonasera," he acknowledged. "I thought your shift was over."

"A CSI's work is never done," she replied sagely. She smiled. "Besides, I was just about to tell you he same thing."

He rolled his eyes and stacked up all his paperwork. "I wish. Gerrard's gotta see me about some sort of 'behavioral action plan' for me pushing him away for the fact that he shoved me into a wall."

Stella looked at him incredulously. "You can't be serious. He smacked you in the face!"

"With the amount of force as a bullet train," he mumbled, rubbing the still-sore spot on his face. "Listen. I'll call you when this is all done."

She sighed in defeat and nodded. "You do that." She walked out of the office and went to the locker room, beginning to take her things out and preparing for the ride home. Something about Mac made her feel not only scared for him and the way he spoke about his encounter with Gerrard. He didn't sound only bitter… he sounded upset. Almost anxious. Mac never sounded anxious to anyone. _NEVER. _

She shook her head and began walking to her car in the garage. The sound of the engine when she got in and turned the key was like a warm shower running through her body. She could get home and wait for Mac there, and she knew he would come.

At least, that's what she thought she knew.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He sighed and rubbed his head in the office. It was hot in there, around eighty-three degrees, and he couldn't stand to sit at his desk and do paperwork for the next half an hour. And that song was running through his head. He couldn't help it. When he was going through Chinatown- or so he thought- one of the kids was singing it. Something involving light and darkness.

Mac was absolutely loathing of the fact that Clay Dobson had decided to make Stella his girlfriend. There was something about him that completely threw him off-guard. Was this a ploy to get his emotions into a case? And why was Gerrard being more of a prick than usual? There were so many questions that he wanted to ask and so few answers one could give him.

He stood up from his desk. 7:11. He remembered he had a meeting with Gerrard. Mac stacked up the papers and put them on a rack, grabbing his jacket. He would clock out after this thing, then go home and continue contemplating life's mysteries of love and desire for love.

All the lights went out in the lab, and then flickered back on. Mac turned around, confused. 'What in God's name was that?' he thought, walking back to the lounge. 'I don't think it was coincidental.'

He opened the door and looked around, the lamp light in the corner on with its faint hue. He blinked, noting a movement in the corner. Suddenly…

WHAM!

Mac felt something slam into his head. He grunted and fell to the floor, nearly knocked out by the force of it. Gerrard held a book about as thick as War and Peace in his hand as he looked down at who he had hit. He sighed. "Damn, Mac, learn to be more careful when wandering around aimlessly in the dark. I mean…" He held out his hand to help up the detective.

Mac glared at it warily, picking himself up off the floor. "I'll take my chances and not get helped up, thanks."

Gerrard raised an eyebrow. He knew Mac had both a tough exterior and interior outlook on life after being in the Marines and everything. Was it a good thing for him or not? Was he smart enough to realize that he would be stalking him and keeping him away from Bonasera for as long as he could before Dobson decided to murder her? Was Mac thick enough to realize that he often made blatant gestures towards Stella that showed that he was, in fact, in love with her?

Probably not.

Mac rubbed the back of his head and looked at Gerrard. "What was that for?"

"Just making sure you weren't some serial killer deciding to try and take Stella Bonasera," he told him, failing miserably to be subtle.

Fortunately, Mac didn't take the hint. "Huh. You're funny. Let's start this conversation off with a bang to Detective Taylor's head, huh? Makes sense, given you're just an ass for trying to take my job all the time."

"Quit calling me that!" Gerrard spat, trying to hold his temper. He knew Mac wanted to see him spazz out like this, but he couldn't help it. The way the detective treated him and the entire department was simply horrible, to his eyes.

"So let me ask you this, Stan. What do you want?"

He cleared his throat. "I wanted to know if you would like to take a paid vacation of some sort out of the area. You know, to maybe Las Vegas or Miami or something. I mean, you have all those paid work days available to you, and you haven't done a thing with them."

Mac looked amused. "Only if Detective Bonasera is able to come along and do that sort of 'paid vacation' with me."

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. See, we've only got one airline ticket."

The detective nodded. "I'll think about it. And in the mean time, think about brushing your teeth more often. Your gums look like they could be beginning to stain your teeth, Stan."

Gerrard was really tempted to smack the smirk off of Taylor's face. "Why you no good, son of a…"

"Save it," he cut in. And with that, he left the room.

Gerrard mentally beat himself up. He had the chance! He could have taken Mac when he could have! It was the perfect moment!

Dobson was not going to be happy about this.

* * *

**AAAAAAAAAAAH! Gerrard is working with Dobson! Loophole or not? I really want to know what you think. Review are appreciated! Much love, gang, and thanks for reading! **


	7. Clay Dobson

**I'm really, _really_ sorry I didn't update this sooner. I've hit a writer's block with this story, and I'm only some-odd 30 percent done. –insert groan here- I know. Three months. I've been too cruel leaving you with that cliffy. **

**_WARNINGS: _Suggestive themes, slight disturbing images **

**Reviews thanks and muffins go to **clairec12344, ImaSupernaturalCSI, shawdoo, Lionessmon, Murgy31, magic-munchies, cryingblacktears, Stella Taylor16, TwistedSister03, CSIBabs

* * *

Shizuka ni deguchi ni tatte  
Kurayami ni hikari o ute

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

7. Clay Dobson 

Mac lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking.

He thought about Stella and the way she teased him at work. About her way she walked around the lab and around him. The way she smiled and laughed, the way she talked to him- he thought about everything about Stella. Mac loved Stella dearly as a friend, but he worried that it was, in fact, turning into something so much more. Not that he didn't _want_ that to happen. It was just… well, Stella and his relationship could go into the deep end. It would either be good or bad.

Which one it was, he wasn't exactly sure.

Mac rolled onto his side. The comforter wasn't providing much comfort as he tried to close his eyes and drift off into dreamland…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was not the best possible time to be awake, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't having a great night sleep in the first place. Only 3:33 in the morning, and her thoughts were drifting off to Mac and his sole desire to be with her. Or that's what she had heard from other people.

_Everyone_ thought that Stella and Mac should have been an item, but she couldn't help but think that was the truth. It was true they were spending a lot of time with one another lately. Not romantically, of course, but like a fond friendship that could never be broken. She rolled over and stared at the wall, thinking about her best friend whom she thought was in love with her.

It never really occurred to Stella how rough around the edges Mac really was. So hard, so dedicated… but he had his soft moments. Granted, he wasn't exactly great at comforting people, but at least he showed he cared in the best way he could. That, and the fact he had a body of muscle and pure spirit was enough to make her… want him, she guessed. She wanted her boss in bed with her, but given the circumstances…

Stella groaned. She wanted to sleep with her superior. That seemed wrong, but… somehow, it didn't.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mac Taylor.

The name made the bald serial killer shudder as he opened the doors the next morning and ready himself for what he liked to consider 'work.' It was, technically. He'd plan for a new building for a couple hours, have some lunch, and he'd plan for another victim.

Wait, plan was the wrong word. He'd go and see his victim and… yeah, that thing. Too many details to go through. Although he had to admit, he did have a thing for that Bonasera woman that Taylor flirted with when he saw them. He had stalked her for some time now, watching their every move and location to know what exactly happened to them. But he had been busted.

Gerrard found out about his little thing.

So he cut a deal with the Internal Affairs Inspector. He wanted to get close to Stella, and in turn, the other could get close to Mac, snag his job, his love life, and everything in between. This could make Mac a broken man, let life go on as he pleased, kill Stella in time, and all would be well. And best of all, he wouldn't get caught.

Sounds perfect? It wasn't. Gerrard forgot to mention one thing to Clay Dobson.

Mac Taylor had a fiery passion for Stella Bonasera. That and he was an ex-Marine.

Oops.

The doors opened at 9:00 AM, and Dobson turned around, inwardly cringing. Detective Mac Taylor was standing at the front desk, flashing his badge and looking particularly irritated. The serial guessed he was not in the best of moods when the man finally spoke. "'Morning, Dobson."

"Detective Taylor!" he greeted cheerfully. "I was just about to call you at the office! Given that, of course, you are the…"

Taylor narrowed his eyes. "Were you going to call me or Detective Bonasera?"

He was on to him. Dobson shrugged. "Well, she is a beautiful woman. Why can't I have eyes for women I think are beautiful? I see you with her all the time. She likes you, and you like her. You can't have her all to yourself."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Given your building is right across the street from mine, give or take seven blocks, you guys seem to walk by here a lot." He turned to his newest project. "You don't think I notice things? A CSI: doesn't have to be the only one who…"

Taylor growled lowly in his throat.

Dobson took the hint. "Can I help you with something? I remember that some of our stuff is out of your price range."

"Cut the crap, Dobson. I know you want Stella for yourself, and it's not going to happen."

The architect winced at this. "Now that's just harsh."

"It's the truth. And damnit, if you so lay a finger on her, you're going to answer to me," he threatened, glaring at the male. "Got it?"

Dobson shrugged. "Whatever."

Taylor merely stared at him for a moment more before walking out of the room. Dobson breathed a sigh of relief when he left. That almost revealed him of his secret, but no harm was done. Nonetheless, he shouldn't take any chances. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed in Gerrard's number. A rough voice answered. "_Hello?" _

"Taylor's on his way to the lab. He confronted me about Stella a little bit. You have to do something so he stays out of my hair!"

Gerrard sounded skeptical. "_Problem is you have no hair._"

"I'm being serious!" Dobson hissed angrily. "Relieve him of duty or something! Christ, just make him get away from the girl!"

The inspector sounded amused. "_I can do that. Something from a friend can help with that trick._"

And with that, he hung up the phone.

Dobson sighed. This was more difficult than he imagined. But no matter. He was going on a date with her soon enough, and that was good enough for now. His only problem was Taylor, but he figured Gerrard could handled him.

Ah, well. Back to business. He sighed. 'Soon, Stella,' he thought, picking up a pencil. 'Soon.'

* * *

**Did anyone catch a reference? No, there's none of _that_ in there, if you get what I mean. He didn't get a call. He's not going to get a call. He's only going to get angrier when someone touches Stella. I'm going to finish this one, but reviews fuel that desire. Press the button and you get an awesome prize! –sticks out frosted brownies- Yep! I'm alive, and I'm back. Now, let's see some reviews, and you'll see a new chapter this weekend! **


	8. Relieved of Duty

**Um… Okay then, my loyal readers, I've kept my promise. I give you another chapter… Man, I feel great already. Hope this next chappie satisfies some needs… and makes you hate other people. **

**Thanks for reviewing **CSIBabs, ImaSupernaturalCSI, xoCathandLivxo, shawdoo, Elektra Bauer, csidle, greyslostwho, lily moon

* * *

Imadoki yakusoku nante fuan ni saseru dake kana  
Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa  
Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo  
Kitto umaku iku yo

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

_**

* * *

**_

8. Relieved of Duty 

Flack knew that when Sinclair walked into the lab with a couple of sheets of paper in his hand that today was going to be one of those days. It was not going to be a happy one of those days. He bit his lip as the Chief of Detectives motioned for him to walk with him. "Chief Sinclair," he acknowledged.

"Flack," he replied, ignoring the curious stares in their direction. "How's it been so far this morning at the Crime Lab?"

Don blinked. "Uh, fine, I guess. Why're you here?"

Sinclair arched an eyebrow in his direction, flapping the papers slightly. The NYPD detective leaned over to read the printed name at the top in Sinclair's neat handwriting: Mac Taylor, CSI. He frowned, twisting his hand in the air slightly. Something smelled fishy about this, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. "What's Mac got to do with any of this?" he asked as politely as he could.

Brigham stared pointedly into Don's eyes. He didn't back down. "I've gotten a number of phone calls about how Mac's been harassing Clay Dobson this morning," he told him flatly. "And that's going to stop right now. I'm _not_ going to be bugged about a former serial killer that hasn't done a goddamn thing wrong since he got out!

Don winced. "Harassing him?"

The chief narrowed his eyes. "I got a call from Gerrard this morning about how he went to Dobson's place and threatened him about Stella. What's that about?"

The man blinked. "From Gerrard?"

His mind began racing. How the heck did Gerrard know about Mac going to Dobson's place? And why did he know? _Don_ didn't even know that his best friend had showed up not to work, but to a killer's workplace first. He furrowed his brow. This was not normal.

"Don?"

He turned to Brigham. "What?"

Sinclair was surprised to notice the new, sharp tone in his voice. Nonetheless, he waved it off. "Where's Mac?"

He snorted. "Your guess is as good as mine, Chief."

The chief's eyes scanned the area suspiciously, noting Danny and Lindsay's whispering in the hallway. He made a mental note to question them about Mac's behavior in the lab before spotting the CSI walking into his office. He nodded to Flack to not follow and made his way towards the man's office.

Don bit his lip. This was not a good thing.

Definitely time to do some digging into this pie.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mac glanced up from his desk, blinking. Brigham was in front of the chair, fingering some documents and giving him the stare down. Mac wasn't fond of that look, to say the least. It grated on his every last nerve on why he was in here. And the raised eyebrow didn't help manners. He stopped flipping through the files and placed his hands on his desk, leaning on the mahogany surface. "What is it, Sinclair? I've got a murder to work on here."

"You're not doin' a thing, Taylor," the man coolly informed him, slipping the paper under his body slightly.

The ex-Marine gave him a strange look before taking his frame off the creaking desk and picking up the papers. His eyes narrowed to slits as he read the form from top to bottom:

---

_CSI: Detective Mack Taylor  
__Relieved of duty  
__Estimated time: Unknown  
__Reason: Barging in on Clay Dobson, threats, assaulting a police officer on duty, making love in the hallways  
__Signed: Brigham Sinclaire, Chief of Police_

---

Mac's eyes wandered to Sinclair's, which looked deeply amused. "I got a complaint from Gerrard today about your behavior for these past few days, Mac. What exactly is your problem?"

Taylor growled lowly in his throat. "You're relieving me of my duty for assaulting a police officer? Chief, Gerrard smacked me with a book upside the head and slapped me across the face when he was on duty! What kind of bull is this?!"

"You didn't come forth, Mac," Sinclair snapped. "I would've done the same thing to Gerrard."

Mac snorted. "You two are like an old married couple."

Sinclair balled up his fists. "Say that again to my face, Mac."

"I told you, you two are like an old married couple."

If anyone had entered the room at that moment, they wouldn't have known if it was the thermostat turned up or the anger spewing from both men that made the room so hot. Sinclair looked ready to explode, Mac ready to scuffle. The chief took a deep breath. "You're going to wish you hadn't said that, Taylor."

Mac's eyes flashed. "You have no idea what the _hell_ Dobson's up to, do you?"

"That's none of my business, Mac, and you know it!"

"I didn't ask you if it was your business, Brigham," he sneered. "You don't know what he's doing. He's obsessing over Detective Bonasera. If that isn't enough to make you arrest him for _stalking_, I'll guess I'll have to prove that he murdered someone else, too."

Sinclair glared at Mac. "You know this because-"

Mac walked around the desk. "Because I get my facts straight. And you sit in your office all day moaning like a lost puppy!"

The chief couldn't take it any longer. His fist slammed into Mac's left side of his face, sending the CSI into the table and chair in his office. Onlookers stopped what they were doing and watched in amazement as Mac's hand drifted to his face. His eyes burned. "You just assaulted me, Sinclair."

"You provoked me, Taylor. Had it coming the entire time!"

Mac clenched his fist.

He brought it swiftly into Sinclair's upper right thigh.

The Chief fell to the floor with a nasty _THUD_, clutching his leg. "Out of the lab! You're relieved until I give you a call! That's not going to be for a long time!"

Mac stood up and stared at the chief. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. You and Bonasera stay away from one another. Got it?"

A wave of dizziness overcame him. Stay away from Stella? No way. That couldn't happen.

Could it?

* * *

**Oh, boy. I have no clue if Mac was OoC in this, but that was a fun scene to do. More FLACK! –dances- He's big later on. Anyways, reviews are loved. Thanks for reading! **


	9. Aches and Pains

**Am I allowed to scream like a maniac yet? This story is turning out to be bigger than I ever dreamed of. I grace you all with another chapter. You all are going to quite possibly make this story my biggest one yet. **

**_Warnings: _**some language

**Thanks for reviewing **shawdoo, CSIBabs, ImaSupernaturalCSI, Bonasera, greyslostwho, Electra Bauer, lily moon, JoSchmo666

* * *

kurayami ni  
hikari wo ute

imadoki yakusoku nante  
fuan ni saseru dake kana  
negai wo kuchi ni shitai dake sa  
kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo  
kitto umaku iku yo

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

_

* * *

_

9. Aches and Pains 

"What the _hell_ do you mean that Mac has been relieved of duty?"

Stella couldn't have looked more furious at this thought as Don winced at the tone she used. The truth was, he wasn't supposed to tell anybody about Mac's lay-off for a couple of hours. He wasn't supposed to tell Stella _anything _about the matter for fear of her breaking something in the office. At least, that's Sinclair told him. He looked to be in pain when he had said it, too. Like something had hit him… hard.

He had one hand on his hips as he gave the woman a look. "Look, Stell, you weren't supposed to hear about this. This is strictly confidential."

She whirled around, eyes burning. "I couldn't give anything worth a _damn_ what the Chief thought. What did Mac do to get himself relieved of duty?"

Don rubbed the back of his head. "He went and saw Dobson in his work place apparently. How Sinclair found out, I have no idea. I will tell you that he is not a happy man right now."

Stella merely stood there, a strange ringing in her ears. Mac had been let go for a few days because he was trying to make sure she was still safe from the serial killer who loved the way she looked? Sinclair _had_ to be smoking something to not see that the lead CSI was trying to protect her from perhaps certain death. Slowly, she looked over to where Mac's desk was and ran her hand across the top of it.

Don simply blinked. "You okay, Stell?"

She nodded. "Hey, Don, can you do some digging for me?"

"Anything for you."

Stella smiled weakly.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mac crumbled up the relieving order and tossed it into the trash bin outside the crime lab office. It was getting colder outside as he walked towards his car, mind racing.

_"Yeah. You and Bonasera stay away from one another. Got it?" _

To stay away from Stella was like asking him to stay away from the crime lab, from where he worked- something that would _never_ happen in a million years. Mac knew that something bad was going to happen within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. He just could put his finger on how bad it was really going to be. And he also knew that it was going to involve Dobson and Gerrard.

True, he told him to stay away from Stella- but whoever said that he couldn't call her?

Shivering, Mac slid inside of his vehicle and took out his cell phone. He went down his list of contacts until he stopped on Stella's name and hit the 'call' button. There was a ringing on the other end until she answered with a weary, "_Hello?" _

"Stella, it's me."

Anger found its way into her voice. "_You got yourself relieved of duty because you went to go see Dobson? Mac, what were you thinking? That I can't handle myself over a serial stalker who wants to go on a date with me?" _

He winced slightly. "No, it's not like that. I just wanted to make sure that nothing fishy was going on."

_"Well, a good lot of help it did you. Gerrard practically dancing on your desk with glee because of the fact you're not in the building. How did he find out anyway that you went to Dobson's place, anyway?" _

Mac let out a dry chuckle. The thought hadn't really occurred to him until now. How exactly _did_ Gerrard know about his little fling at Dobson's building? He had to have been there or something. Or maybe he had eyes and ears inside the workplace that could call him.

Or maybe there was a conspiracy going on between Dobson and Gerrard that Mac had no idera about.

"_Mac? You still there?" _

He was jolted out of his daze, shaking his head and nodding to himself. "Yeah, I'm here. You heard about what Sinclair said about me and you, right?"

Stella's voice had a tinge of exasperation. "_What, that we're not allowed to see each other in the lab anymore? Yeah, actually I did. Don told me all about it when you had left. He had one hell of a backbone to spill that secret to me. Apparently, no one is supposed to know about this whole incident." _

"Except for every person in the lab," Mac mumbled. "I've got this bad feeling the press is going to get a hold of the news tonight."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sinclair slumped in the chair in his office, staring at the paperwork that Gerrard had managed to land on his desk again.

What was going on? Mac had been such a bitch to him for those past couple of days, and here he was, relieving the man of his duty because of his little run-in with Clay Dobson. Sure, he had been released from prison on the basis of good behavior and Detective Truby. It had all been fair from the law's perspective. But he couldn't just shake off the worried feeling that he had just made a major mistake in pulling Taylor's badge.

Sinclair trusted Taylor immensely. They had their share of arguments in the past, but nothing that a good beer or night out couldn't fix up. He just had the sickened feeling that this was one argument no amount of alcohol could mend.

He quietly sighed and cracked his back, taking a look at the new file on his desk from Gerrard. He disliked Internal Affairs sometimes, and this was one of them. Gerrard had earned his position in the office, but there was something suspicious in the way he had spoken to him that morning about Taylor's behavior.

Corruption in the police department, perhaps?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Don popped in some painkillers and clicked a file on his computer. He had asked Adam to pull up some data from Gerrard's computer, promising dinner and a movie with the team when they had the chance. Adam had simply asked that he didn't get ratted on for the illegal digging he could have been doing. Don had agreed, and he was now sitting at his computer, scrolling through the list of names on Gerrard's contact list for his phone.

There had been a few calls made to Sinclair's office over the past couple of days, and one suspicious number that looked vaguely familiar.

He'd have to ask Adam to do some simple digging for this one.

Moaning and taking a sip of his now-cold coffee, Don wrote down the number and got up out of his seat. He'd have to make another stop to the crime lab today.

"Don't worry, Stell," he told himself. "I'll help both you and Mac get out of this hole…"

* * *

**Oh, the Flack-ness. I love Don so much, and allowing him to help in this story only makes yours and my life better. Reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading! **


	10. Stutter, Mutter

**Well, here it goes again. Shiny-sama makes another attempt to update this story. The Flack-ness, Adam-ness, and SMacked-ness will show we are… halfway through the story?! WOW.**

**Thanks for the kind reviews **ImaSupernaturalCSI, lily moonlight, Elektra Bauer, CSIBabs, VaveAma92

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Donna toki datte  
Zutto futari de  
Donna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

10. Stutter, Mutter

"What do you mean by that?" Dobson growled.

Gerrard cringed. "Look, I got my supervisor to somehow get Taylor relieved of duty. Given that he hit an officer while on duty, I was able to file a complaint and get him to give the man some time off! Tried to exaggerate it as much as I could. Whether it worked or not, I can't exactly say."

The serial merely gave his companion a glare before turning back to his desk and putting his hands next to his latest building design. His voice was quiet as he spoke- dangerous and cunning. "Listen. I'm going out with her tomorrow night, and I have to make sure that everything is going to be perfect for getting revenge on Taylor. Do you remember what you have to do, or do I have to take another hour of my precious time to retell you?!"

"You know perfectly well that I can keep him away from you and Stella." Gerrard's gaze hardened. "The hard part is making sure he doesn't go _looking_ for you two after a long time. All I'm saying is be careful of Taylor. Lord only knows that he can be a dragon when it comes to her." He winced at this. "I don't think Sinclair was happy to actually tell him he was being relieved."

Dobson smirked. "All the more reason to take her, then. If it makes his life miserable, then it's all the better for the both of us."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It took all of Don's energy to not growl at the computer and throw what was left of his coffee at the screen. The calls and other various accounts were draining him to no end, and he was getting angrier and angrier with each passing moment. The data he had sent to Adam was coming back, and it wasn't looking pretty, to say the least. Gerrard had calls made to Dobson Architects that had lasted somewhere around thirty seconds to thirty _minutes_ in length.

He glanced at his phone, swallowing and picking it up. He dialed Adam's number and heard the lab tech mutter, _"Don?"_

"I owe ya for those numbers you pulled up for me. How does tonight sound?"

Adam sounded relieved over the phone. _"I'm free. Is everyone else?"_

Don shrugged, watching the paper finish printing and got up, taking out the sheet and putting them into a folder. "I really don't know. I'll ask them, though. I'm on my way to the crime lab right now, actually."

_"Better watch your step. Sinclair's been skulking around here for a while now after leaving for a couple of hours. I don't know WHY, but it's starting to worry me a little."_Indeed, he sounded worried, taking a deep breath over the line. _"I'd hurry it up if I were you. He might come around and ask me what the hell I'm doing."_

The detective nodded and shut his phone. He had to have a serious talk with the chief.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Mac had no idea what the heck to do.

The crime lab was like his second home since Claire had died during the September 11 attacks. He didn't have much of anyone to go home to and cuddle with for a couple nights. He didn't really have any kids to go out with or any of the fun family member things that one could do.

Hence, his longing for Stella.

Stella was a huge comfort factor in his life. She was so kind, gentle- and yet, she could scold him like his mother would do the same to him. She was his comfort, the light of his life. And he couldn't help but feel a little protective of her sometimes.

As he drove the car, his thoughts began to drift to the possibility of Stella dating Dobson. The thought made him cringe and grip the wheel harder. Disgusting. Why would he even look for his best friend? Mac furrowed his brow in thought. There had to be some sort of reason for his actions. Every serial had a reason for doing something, and Dobson was no different.

He made a u-turn in the car, making his way back to the lab. Relieving order or not, he was going to see Stella.

His phone rang, and he picked up. " Taylor."

_"Mac. We have a problem here."_

Mac frowned at the grim tone used by Don. "What happened? Are you okay, Flack?"

Don snorted over the line. Rustling of papers could be heard in the background, as well as some slightly nervous chattering. _"Um, I'm fine. But when you see what I have for you, I don't think you're going to be okay. Things are not looking good for you or Stella OR Gerrard for that matter."_

"I don't get it."

_"I'll show you at the lab. Hurry back."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Adam merely swallowed under Sinclair's steely glare. "Um…"

"What were you doing looking up his phone records?!" the chief growled, shaking the folder in front of his face. "Did you have a warrant, Mr. Ross?"

He looked away slightly. "No?"

"Chief."

Don's voice came out of nowhere, and both men turned around to him. Sinclair raised an eyebrow at this calling. "Donald."

The detective winced at this address, but he kept a straight face. "He was doing something for me. It was about the case about the girl with the eyelids cut off and brutally murdered. Adam was doing some digging for me, and we think that there are some connections that the killer might have to Gerrard, so we looked at his phone records." His gaze turned steely. "Cut the guy some slack."

"Really?" Sinclair asked coolly. "If he could have told me that…"

He gritted his teeth slightly. "It's because you're too busy sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong right now. First Mac, now Adam… do you have a problem in here, chief?"

He didn't say anything for a few moments. Finally, he simply walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Adam sighed. "I owe you, Flack."

"You can pay for half of dinner tonight, got it?"

The lab tech laughed weakly. The door opened again, and Mac walked in, flashing his visitor's pass. "I can't believe I had to get one, but if it's enough to get inside the lab…" He glanced at Don. "What was your call all about?"

The serious look was back on his face as he showed Mac the calls Gerrard had made. "This explains a lot, doesn't it?"

"That… that…" Mac's fury arose once again as his eyes flashed. "I can't believe him. I smack him once, and I'm thrown out. He's secretly working with Dobson, and no one bats an eye in his direction. There are some serious miscommunication errors in here!"

Don's eye twitched slightly. "Maybe we should all go to a movie. The whole team, I mean. Something along those lines…"

The CSI groaned and rubbed his head. "What is with that random thought?"

"No particular reason," Don replied, winking in Adam's direction.

The lab tech snickered.

* * *

**Meh. Not much of a cliffie this time around, but it's a light end to what is going to turn out to be a much darker situation than anyone ever wanted for Stella. Even Mac. Trust me on that. ;) I think updates for this will come a lot faster now. Now that I've jumped that hurdle, I'm going to get to have some fun with the story… well, more fun. Thanks for reading!**


	11. Investigating Love

**-headdesk- Dang it. It's taking me longer to update than I want it to take. Feel free to hit me with a dead fish. BAD SHINY.**

**Um... disturbing things at the end. Not nice at all.**

**Thanks for reviewing **CSIBabs, ImaSupernaturalCSI, shawdoo, lily moonlight, Carrro, special agent kibbs

* * *

Urusai  
To'ori ni haitte  
Un-mei no  
Kamen wo tore

-_Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

11. Investigating Love

Okay. This sucked.

Mac was getting hints. Mac was getting a lot of hints and a really nasty knot in his stomach. It was the day of Stella's date, and something told him that it was not going to be the typical run-of-the-mill date for her. As he lay back in his bed and glanced over at his alarm clock, his hand reached for his cell phone on the table. "It's seven-thirty in the morning," he mumbled, growing more agitated. "It's _seven thirty._ I can't believe this. I can't even go to work today."

Then it really hit him. As he dialed Stella's number, his heart plummeted. He couldn't go to work today.

What the hell was that about?!

He fumed silently as Stella picked up the phone. _"Are you okay? Judging by the vibes I'm getting across the line here, I'm taking a stab and saying no."_

"You're more right than you think. Listen, I'm going to be a picky leader of the lab and ask if you can perhaps do some work on Gerrard and get him to confess to something. If what Adam is saying is true, then we can catch him and give him a taste of his own medicine." He laughed bitterly. "Personally, I'd love to give him a taste of a furious Marine smack to the mouth, but hey. I can't." He swung his feet over the bed and began to make his way towards the bathroom.

She swallowed. Stella had never heard her best friend and confidant talk like this before... unless he was really pissed off. And even then, he would never say such things. It was actually kind of out of character for him to say all of this. She sighed, trying to keep her voice calm and low at the same time. _"Listen. I know you're ticked off, Mac. But you've got to keep your cool AND your tongue in check. Do you think we're doing any better here at the lab? Mac, I'm under the microscope right now."_

That stopped him cold in his tracks. "What?"

The female CSI groaned slightly. By the rustling sound in the background, Mac guesstimated that she was running her fingers through her hair. _"Well, Internal Affairs got wind of what happened between you and Gerrard one day, and they decided to launch an investigation about the love affairs going on in the lab. It's happening to everyone, Mac. Danny and Lindsay are after Flack and me. It's..."_

He ran his own fingers through his hair. "You're kidding."

Stella's voice was grim and unyielding. _"No, I'm not. Mac, this is getting serious. If he finds out that you liked me or something, then you're out of here. Gerrard even said it himself."_

There was a loud yell, followed by the dropping of the phone. Mac gripped it and felt his pulse quicken. "Stella? Stella, are you there?"

Nothing. The loud end tone rang in his ears as he stood in the bathroom, wearing only his sweat pants and standing next to a now-steaming shower. He snapped the phone shut and shut the bathroom door; he cursed to himself, wondering what he had done to his lab.

Soon enough, the water ran over his body, and he could only lean his head against the wall in frustration, worrying and trying to figure out a way to help his team out of the mess he created...

* * *

"Look, I told you before, detective. I'm not in love with Mac Taylor!"

Gerrard snorted derisively, waving the cell phone in front of Stella's face. "Is that so? Can you explain to me, Detective Bonasera, why on earth you were talking to Mac when I called you into the room? Or am I going to have to use unorthodox methods in gaining your trust that I'm doing what is best for the lab?!"

Stella's eyes flashed angrily. She had been questioned for no more than three minutes, and already this was grating her last nerve. The Internal Affairs agent was looking quite smugly at the woman, as if he was a cat that had cornered a mouse. She stood up from the table and walked over to the window, crossing her arms. "You doing what's best for the lab? Oh, that's rich! All you care about is your name and your status in this place! You're just mad because Mac makes a better leader than you!"

"Miss Bonasera, I'm the one who is making statements here!" he yelled back, finally losing his cool. "I don't know what your attitude problem is, but what it may be, it's got to stop!"

The female whirled around. This was becoming way too much. He wasn't asking her simple questions- he was drilling her. This was an interrogation, for all she cared. This was _more_ than interrogation- she felt like...

Like a prisoner of war, trapped in this stupid little game of threats, death, and other ideas.

This wasn't the only thing that worried her, though. Her 'date' with Dobson was tonight, too.

_"I AM TALKING TO YOU, STELLA!"_

Gerrard's furious shriek shocked her back into reality. She simply shook her head and stalked out of the room, pushing the door open and ignoring the confused glances from her friends. It was impossible to say who was more aggravated- the brunette having just left the room or the grayed-haired male whose hair was probably graying even faster after the confrontation. Danny blinked in shock and turned to Don and Lindsay. "Someone wanna explain what the hell just happened?"

Lindsay shook her head slowly. "I'm not going to ask. If you want to, be my guest."

Don winced. "Boy, this outta be a joyride..."

"Flack! Get in here!"

The detective sagged his shoulders. "Aw, shit..."

* * *

He was annoyed. He was really annoyed.

Mac was miffed.

As he typed at his computer, looking for any sort of clues that connected the Internal Affairs agent to the serial killer, he nearly nodded off to sleep. Groaning and getting up out of his chair, he walked out into the kitchen and grabbed a Mountain Dew. The caffeinated beverage rushed through his system, and he sighed, making his way back over to his desk. The phone vibrated next to him, and he picked it up without even glancing down at the caller ID. "Taylor."

What he heard next froze his blood.

The screams of a young woman suddenly pierced his ears, the laughing of a man, and the sound of a slap against flesh. He shuddered slightly, his knuckles turning white, as the male voice uttered slurred words. _"Now ye lissen heer ya bitch... ya gonna go wit me to da bed and ya gonna have a lil' fun... ya got it, Stella?"_

The woman's voice was pleading. _"No. No. Don't do this. I know who you are, Frankie. Don't do..."_

_"Shaddup!"_ the voice snarled again, and the loud _crack_ against flesh made Mac's body boil with rage.

The recording suddenly stopped, and a smooth voice on the other end came through. _"Now, listen, Taylor. If you don't want that to happen to Stella, you must let her go with Dobson and not send anyone after her. All will be fine... promise."_

_Click._

Mac stared down at the phone and snapped it shut, suddenly standing up and hitting the desk in a fury. "Damnit! Why?!

"Why the hell does Stella deserve this? What did I do wrong?!

"What did I do to fail her and drag her into this mess...?"

* * *

**CLIFFIE! -runs away- Okay, bad Shining for another cliffhanger. I'll do better next time! Promise! Reviews are totally adored, and I'm going to get up the next chapter in hopefully two weeks or less this time. -cheers- Thanks for reading! (BTW, I love thinking that line... Mac was miffed. It sounds funny if you say it aloud. XD)**


	12. The Alchemy of Plotting and Kidnapping

**Okay, I know you all want to scream or something, but uh... -covers ears- All right, scream. I updated early.**

**Thanks for the kind reviews** SciFiNutAlways1999, ImaSupernaturalCSI, Carrro, lily moonlight, Blue Shadowdancer, special agent kibbs, Mouse, CSIBabs

* * *

Saki wo mitooshi sugi nante  
Imi no nai koto wa yamete  
Kyou wa hishii mono mo tabeyou yo  
Mirai wa zutto saki da yo  
Boku ni mo wakaranai

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

12. The Alchemy of Plotting and Kidnapping

He had waited a long time for this day. Far too long, to be frank.

The man stared at the clock, rubbing his head in frustration and grabbing the cell phone off the counter. He dialed in the number and waited, tapping his foot and trying his best to look professional in a work environment. A hushed voice answered on the other end. "What do you want now?!"

"I'm getting impatient," he snarled. "It might only be 12:45, but I'm getting very agitated about the girl. You got her upset, you idiot. Now what's going to happen when I try to 'date' her?!"

Gerrard growled back in exasperation. _"Oh, put a sock in it, Dobson. It'll all work out fine. Besides, Taylor can't come near the lab. You'll be fine. Must I remind you that I was in the Army for a couple of years?"_

Dobson rolled his eyes, glancing around and pretending to write on a sheet of paper. "Only the last five times I've seen you. Look, I'm going to be a prying person and ask you how the hell you got that feed of Bonasera and her dead boyfriend. Or do I even want to know?"

The Internal Affairs agent laughed on the other end of the line. _"The team had a little bit of video feed that they were missing from a security camera around the time of Frankie's death. hey had kind of not seen the hidden device and, well... I knew where it was. I'm Internal Affairs, so I asked if I could have a glance at the feed. Well, I did... and I hated to see Bonasera in a lot of pain. But compared to what Frankie did to what you could do..." _He laughed again. _"Don't kill her. But you might want to make her suffer a little- enough so I can see the pain on Taylor's face when she dies in the hospital."_

"You're talking torture?"

Dobson had plenty of experience in the torture department, sure. But he had never actually taken a person hostage, given them the time of their life, (BIG LIE) and then allowed them to be found by someone to emotionally wound their friends and family for life. He sat in a chair and rolled his eyes. "Torture, Gerrard, is something I do... but nothing like what you're suggesting."

His ally sighed. "True. All you serials have to have some sort of signature to show you were there, and yours is indeed killing the victims and cutting off their eyelids." Dobson heard an audible shudder. "Granted, I still don't understand why you do that. It's absolutely disgusting, to say the least."

This was not the time to be discussing his methods of death. Dobson leaned forward and rested his head in his hand._ "Listen to me, Gerrard. Quit bossing me around already. I've been following your orders for these past couple of weeks now. Don't you think you need to have a little bit of trust in me? I've been trying to get back at you, but no- you've just been being an old fossil and crap. That's why I haven't been exactly listening to you these past few days."_

He shut the phone and looked at the pen he was fingering, his mind racing and the feeling of the kill overtake him yet again. He hadn't felt like this for a while... ever since Selena Maridel's screams of mercy had overtaken the silent room where they were... together. HIs lips curled into a devilish smile as he stood up from the chair and glanced over at the clock.

12:50.

Damn, the time was passing slow right now...

* * *

Coffee. That was all she wanted.

Stella reached the counter at the Starbucks, looking harried and agitated. The waitress blinked. "What can I get for you?"

"Just a coffee," she muttered, gritting her teeth ever-so-slightly. "That'll be all."

"Make that two," a familiar voice behind her wearily acknowledged. "Two regular coffees. I'm paying."

The female turned around and gasped, seeing Mac in typical attire. She raised an eyebrow and smiled weakly. "What are you doing here?! If anyone sees you with me..."

Mac closed his eyes and suddenly embraced her, almost as if protecting her from some sort of great evil that was about to take over the world. Stella had never felt this close to him before- figuratively and literally. She slowly melted into the hug, sighing with relief and feeling... a new sort of aura around him. It wasn't one she liked very much. She looked up at Mac, fear swirling like a cloud in her head. "Mac? Are... are you okay?"

His voice sounded hushed, worried. "I'm never okay when your life is on the line, Stella. And I'm very worried that something bad is going happen tonight. I just..." He took the two coffees and nodded his thanks after paying the tab. "Stella, I just got a message on my phone when I picked it up, and it wasn't something I just liked hearing some recording or something. Someone's setting you and me up. And I need..." He closed his eyes in pain. "I need to ask if Frankie abused you, Stella."

She froze in fear. Stella had never heard her boss ask anything like this. It was always Don that had asked her these types of things, but never Mac. She clenched up. "Why?"

"I got a phone call this morning from someone whom I think might be your date for tonight," he explained lowly, looking around in worry. "It was the sound of you and apparently Frankie, and I could..." He put his hand over his mouth, tears sliding down his face slightly. "...I could hear you screaming, Stella. I could hear the sound of a smack or something worse. And the sound of you sobbing... I could have broken the phone in two with my hand, Stell."

The woman stared at Mac. "You're overreacting, Mac. I swear, ever since a couple of days ago when he asked me out, you've been snapping at everybody. I know you want to catch him, Mac, but you gotta..." She bit her lip. "You gotta keep your cool around the lab and stop snapping at us."

He turned away, his jaw slack. "I'm worried about you. He said that..."

"You worry too much sometimes," she told him soothingly. "Listen. I'm going to be all right." She smiled slightly. "You know I'm a big girl now. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself against a serial killer. I've got my weapon on me. It'll be hidden. Don't worry at all."

Mac looked into his coffee cup. Did he really worry too much? Was he overreacting in a situation like this? Or was this one of those times where it was perfectly fine to be doing such a thing?

Stella's hand slipped into his own, and he shook his head, laughing bitterly, quietly. "I can't do that, Stell. I have to worry. If I don't, who will?"

* * *

**Bleh. I'm not very happy with the ending of this chapter. I'm not sure why, but for some odd reason... -shrugs- I dunno. Hope you liked it. We're in the calm before the big storm. Thanks for reading, and feel free to review**


	13. Service with No Smile

**Meep. I hear the thunder in the distance, gang. SHIVER NOW!**

**AAAAAH! Language. F-bomb. -backs away slowly- Oh, and... holycrapMacispissedoffhere! -deep breath- Holy crap, Mac is pissed off here!**

**Review thanks to **CSIBabs, Blue Shadowdancer, lily moonlight, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, ImaSupernaturalCSI, chrysalis escapist, Technolicious-x, shoppingluva-91

* * *

Kansei sasenaide  
Motto yokushite  
WAN SHIIN zutsu totte  
Ikeba ii kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi no SHINARIO  
Utsushidasu

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

13. Service with No Smile

He leaned on a pole outside of the lab and snarled to himself. Pain. In. The. Ass.

That's what this was.

Mac opened the door and flashed his badge without even stopping to greet the woman at the counter. His finger jammed the button to the elevator, a feeling of worry and anger washing over his body. He took out his cell phone and dialed Don's number. _"Hello?"_ his voice asked hoarsely.

The CSI frowned. "Don? You okay?"

_"Like hell. Do I sound okay?_

Mac bit his lip. "What happened?"

Don gave a soft moan. _"Hurry up here. I'll tell you in a sec."_

Mac snapped his phone shut and stepped in the elevator, the doors shutting behind him. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Something was bugging him again as he took the way up to the floor of the lab. His thoughts wandered off to the thought of Stella and Dobson together at a table, something terrible happening when they were together... he pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he put his phone back into his pocket, watching the numbers increase steadily... as if they were ticking off closer and closer to doom...

He practically bolted out of the elevator as the doors opened, nearly running into his partner, who was holding a bottle of painkillers. Mac didn't know if they were prescription or just over the counter. Either way, Flack looked harried. The CSI motioned to the cop, and they walked down the hallway towards his office. Mac's fingers felt around for his keys, frowning and furrowing his brow. "So. What happened?"

"Gerrard was not being a good cop," Don replied bluntly, wincing and popping open the bottle. "He interrogated everyone about relationships in the lab, and Stella was grilled big time."

Mac narrowed his eyes. "Everyone?"

Flack slowly nodded, popping the pills in his mouth and swallowing.

They reached the office door, and Mac once again dug into his pockets. "Okay, where the heck are my keys...?"

An uneasy aura arose between the two of them as Flack looked around as well, searching on the ground and in his own pockets, just to make sure he hadn't taken them. "You walked here, didn't you?"

"Not like I had much of a choice, huh?" Mac replied wearily.

Don bit his lip. "So, you don't have the keys... I don't have the keys... someone stole them."

The CSI growled lowly. "Three guesses at who did."

"Only three, Mac?" a familiar voice sneered behind him, the jingle of a key ringing in his ears. "Come on. Surely there's more than just three."

Mac turned around. Gerrard had raised an eyebrow, jangling his keys in his right hand. There was a sort of smugness around him as he spoke, an aura of seeming triumph. His mouth formed into some sort of twist grin. Don narrowed his eyes. 'What're you doing here? I thought you went home at three!"

"Stay out of this, Don. For your own good," the agent replied.

He stepped forward threateningly. "What did you just say to..."

Mac's hand was out in front of him before he could move anymore. There was a sort of tense air now between the threesome, but the source of it seemed to be coming from Mac. And it showed- his eyes were burning with some sort of hellfire hatred. His voice was soft as he spoke. "Don, just listen to him for once. I want you to try and find out where Stella is. Something more than a date is going to happen, I think."

Don knew that tone of voice. It was when his best friend was really angry- as in, 'prepared to explode angry.' He bit his lip and gave Gerrard one final glare before backing off. "Any ideas?"

"Something that connects Gerrard to Dobson. Have Adam look into it, too."

The cop nodded and walked quickly in the opposite direction. Mac turned to the Internal Affairs deputy and let out a slow, angry breath. "You do realize you've totally screwed everything up."

Gerrard shrugged. "It's my job, Taylor. I'm supposed to mess everything up."

"No, it's your job to make sure nothing bad happens in my lab!" he snarled back, taking one step closer to him.

He was losing it. He had begun to lose it since Dobson had gotten out of jail. He had continued losing it when he found out that Stella's secret admirer was a serial killer. He had _still_ been losing it when he figured out that Gerrard was in cahoots with Dobson the whole time- and given all these circumstances... throw it in a pot, add water, bake at four hundred and twenty five degrees, allow to cool for five minutes, serve with a side of fury.

Yep, that was _exactly_ how Mac felt right now. _Absolutely livid._

He hadn't ever felt this angry in his life with the exception of Aiden's murder.

"_He deserves a Marine smack to the mouth," _the voice whispered in his ear, remembering a few days ago.

So that's exactly what Detective Mac Taylor gave him.

_SMACK._

Gerrard stumbled backwards slightly, his hand immediately going up to his lips. Blood oozed slightly from the side of his mouth, and his eyes widened in shocked anger as he glared at Mac, who stood there, fist clenched. "Fucking bastard!" the agent spat, clenching his own hand.

"My thoughts exactly," Mac whispered.

Gerrard's own fist cracked right across Mac's face, who took three steps back, clutching his cheek. A tingling sensation rushed through his face, tears stinging his eyes. Adrenaline pumped through his veins; it was the same feeling that he had like the times he was in the field of battle, especially during Operation Desert Storm. He loved it and hated it, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to look back at the man who had taken Stella away from him.

_His _Stella.

With a low, dangerous growl and a leap, Mac threw himself for the other man, grabbing him by the shirt collar and bringing both of them down to the tiles floor in the lab. HIs eyes blazed wildly. "You let him take her... you let her take her, you goddamn bastard! What the hell is your problem?!" His hands gripped the agent's clothing tighter. "You better tell me before I let Don get a hold of you!"

"Christ, Taylor, easy!" Gerrard choked, looking slightly worried. "You're gonna kill someone with that attitude!"

Mac issued another intense growl.

The agent knew he had no choice. "You and Stella are flirting at work every time I see you together! Something's going on between you two, and I had to break it up! That, and I hate the fact you're always in the lab and crap. I don't get any freakin' respect, and you constantly get the eyes of every lab tech in the building!" He sounded calmer. "I had to break you two up. It was the only way for me to get the job here. Sinclair could've come in and said it himself but..."

"But you were jealous." The CSI leaned close. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"Nah, you think?!" he snarled. "Now get off of me!"

Mac couldn't do anything but obey the agent. He finally let go and got up from the floor, forcing himself to calm down. "And Stella?"

Gerrard laughed harshly. "She'll be lucky if she makes it out alive, Mac."

_WHAM._

Mac brought his fist into his enemy's jaw with as much energy and anger as he could muster. Gerrard's head was thrown in the right direction, blood spitting out of his mouth from the sheer power of the blow. Taylor's voice was nothing but a whisper. "If he so much as lays a _finger_ on her... you're a dead man. You hear me? You're _dead, _Gerrard."

And with this, he walked towards the A/V lab in hopes of finding the one last light of his world, Gerrard gawking at his heels.

Jesus, he was pissed off right now...

* * *

**Boy. I don't think I've ever wrote Mac so angry in ANY one chapter of my life. You'd be ticked off, too, if your beloved more-than-a-friend was out with a serial and the possibility of her not coming back was 60-40. Yeah, I admit it, Mac was OoC in this chappie... but I hope you get why. T.T**

**Oh yeah... go check out the CSI: NY FanFiction Awards! Nominate your favorite authors and authoresses for their work! It's fun and doesn't take much time! They are in the forums... and there's a good deal of voting going on! -cheers a little- **

**Reviews are nice. Thanks for reading.**

**-picks up chapter and runs from mob-**


	14. A Date with Stella

**Wow. Whoops. Shiny's bad at updating this thing.**

**Thanks for reviewing** ImaSupernaturalCSI, lily moonlight, iluvcsi4ever, shopping-luva91, Carrro, EmilyProctorslittlegirl, Blue Shadowdancer, CSIBabs, Technolicious-xo, FernClaw, chrysalis escapist, Matt, AK-tiger, Wizard-in-Disguise

* * *

Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
TEREBI keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

14. A Date with Stella

"I hope you enjoy steak," Dobson offered the woman, holding her arm and nodding to the waiter. "This is one of the best places to go in town, and I thought I would like to treat you to a nice restaurant instead of some cheap, five dollar all-you-can-eat buffet." He gestured to her, letting go of her arm. "After you, ma'am."

Stella nodded her thanks to the bald-headed male and walked forward, forcing her face to stay straight. She couldn't let worry cloud her judgment at that moment. If something bad happened and she wasn't able to defend herself in time because of her fear... she didn't want to think about that right then. She just wanted to get this dinner finished and go back to the lab and tell Mac about what had happened. Honestly, the night hadn't been very eventful so far, and she was very thankful for that much. Dobson didn't seem to be up to much of anything... yet. Stella knew that serials could portray one emotion one moment and completely change their attitude the next. It was actually very frightening, to say the least.

And this thought process of serial killers was exactly the reason of why she was worried.

Dobson blinked. "Hey, Stella. Are you okay? You look kind of pale."

She jolted out her gaze and forced a small smile. "I'm fine. I'm actually quite fine right now. Let's go sit down."

The man took her hand and led her to the table, smiling at all who watched them pass by. Stella tried to look as if this was a normal occurrence for her to be out with a serial that got released from jail a few months ago. Dobson seemed to notice her discomfort and nodded at the waiter, who left the table for a few moments. Stella tried to straighten out her dress and laughed nervously. "So, uh, you seem to have taken an interest in me these past couple of days."

He placed his elbows on the table, his head in the palm of his hands. "Only during the past couple of days, Miss Bonasera. I do believe that you're the most beautiful woman in all of Manhattan."

She blushed but kept her face straight. "You're too kind. I've heard that Mac is actually quite jealous right now."

"You don't know the half of it," Dobson muttered, his blood beginning to boil slightly at the mention of the male CSI.

"What was that I heard?"

He pulled a forced smile and shook his head. Dobson couldn't allow Stella to be in on his real intentions for taking her out for dinner. If he was going to hurt Taylor in the worst way possible, he had to gain her trust a bit more to show that he really was a changed man. Dobson took a deep breath and flagged over the waiter. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about how Detecive Taylor could actually be a jealous man. Didn't know it was even possible."

Stella sighed. "I worry about him sometimes. Honestly. It's not that he, you know, obsesses about me or anything. It's just he cares for me really deeply, like one cares for his family. Except, sometimes it seems like he cares for me _more_ than family." She gave a short laugh. "Truth is, I think deep down, he really loves me. He just doesn't want to say it for fear of possibly losing his job."

"I see." Dobson put his hand on hers. "I believe I kind of understand what you mean."

She pulled her hand away slightly, and Dobson tensed up. This wasn't turning out like he had planned. Nonetheless, he had to keep his cool right now and make sure she didn't pull anything funny. He waved the waiter over and smiled. "Can I get some wine and a sampler platter?" The waiter nodded and wandered away, and he turned his attention back to her. His eyes scanned her upper torso, the black strapless dress catching his eyes. "You have on such a beautiful dress, Stella. I must ask, where did you get it?"

Stella kept the smile plastered on her face. "Um, Macy's? Honestly, it's been so long, I can't even remember."

The conversation died right after that. The serial struggled to find something to say, but it was Stella who decided to open her mouth once again. "So, what kind of building are you working on right now at your office?"

"Nothing very special. I've been hired to help in the creation of another hotel," he replied, trying to sound casual. "Honestly, it's not very exciting right now, as, well..." He looked surprisingly flustered. "Well, I haven't been focusing that much on my job."

She raised an eyebrow, nodding her thanks to the waiter as he brought out a bottle of wine and placed the sampler platter on the table. "Not focused on your job? Any reason why?"

Dobson laughed. "My mind wanders quite a bit every now and then. I can't help but wonder what else I can do besides... well, design buildings for a living." He opened the bottle and poured a glass of wine for her and himself. "Don't get me wrong, the whole business pays quite nicely. It's just... well, I have bigger fish to fry right now."

Stella felt her stomach churn slightly but ignored the nauseating feeling. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Well, nothing really. I've just been having my eyes on bigger prizes. Namely..." Here, his voice turned quiet, secretive. "...you."

She swallowed, keeping her voice steady. "Me?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I just cannot let all that beauty go to waste on a man like Mac. He just... he seems to be alone, finding solace in that other woman the works with-what is her name again?"

"Can't say I remember," she lied, her hand inching towards her cell phone in her purse. This was getting to be a bit personal. And what exactly was with the bottle of wine he had purchased? Was he trying to get her drunk or something?"

Dobson's face held the hint of a smirk. "Don't remember? Or don't _want_ to remember?"

Stella bit the inside of her mouth slightly. Where was Mac when you needed him?

"Tell me, Stell- would it be too much trouble if I brought you over to my house tonight and we watched a movie together? I have a new romance film I've been dying to see with another woman, and well... you're the lucky person I want to see that movie with." His eyes seemed to show innocence, but Stella could tell it was a lust of desire for her.

She could see the look of hatred towards Mac flaming in there. And she was damn near terrified of what this man could actually physically _do to her._ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to sound caring and sincere. "I would love to come over. I really would. But I have some other plans tonight."

Dobson snorted. "You mean, you want to go home and cry to your beloved Mac, is that right?"

"It's not that at all!" she replied hastily, smothering the lie as best as she could. "I just... I think it's a bit early for us to be rushing into this sort of thing. I want to get to know you more, if you know what I mean."

He raised an eyebrow. "Exactly the reason why I suggest we go over to my house tonight. It's not like I would kill you or anything. I've gotten over that, Stella. Honestly. I'm a changed man."

Stella merely looked away for a moment, pondering these words. It was a seemingly lose-lose situation- go with Dobson and possibly get on Sid's table for examination... or go home to Mac and possibly get stalked by this man the rest of her life. It was now obvious he had a deep feeling of _something_ for her. Now, it most certainly wasn't love, but she couldn't describe the other possibilities it could have been. As her shoulders sagged slightly, she could feel Dobson's eyes piercing through her head, seemingly reading her mind. 'Goddamnit,' she thought angrily, clenching her teeth. 'What am I supposed to do now? Besides try and look for a way out of this mess...'

Finally, she found her voice and managed to choke out, "I guess it wouldn't hurt if I went over to your house."

Dobson raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'll grab out bill then. We can get something else to eat at my house."

Stella felt her heart plummet as she waited for the waiter to come back. 'You can take care of yourself, Bonasera,' she thought sternly, reaching for her purse and fiddling with it in her hand. 'You're a big girl now. And everyone in the lab knows that.'

Yes indeed, she had grown up. But as she watched the man fish out a twenty dollar bill she couldn't help but wonder: would the choice to go with this man- this former serial killer- possibly cost her life?

* * *

**Yep. Shiny left off at another cliffie. Well, I hope that satisfies your needs for now. I'm hoping to get this done by summer's end, so keep your fingers crossed! And by the way... I came in 2nd place for Best SMacked Author and 3rd for Best SMacked Fic! -grins- Sweet. Anyways, reviews are appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	15. The Defining Moment of Donald Flack

**I was off by a day. At least I'm updating this more frequently, though. And I apologize for the time lapse in this. Yes, it was in the fic originally. And I put in a very small DL moment. Hope it works out.**

**Thanks for reviewing** shopping-luva91, lily moonlight, chrysalis escapist, Wizard-in-Disguise, Blue Shadowdancer, Hope06, VaveAma92, CSIBabs, ImaSupernaturalCSI

* * *

Donna ni yokuttatte  
Shinji kirenai ne  
Sonna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

15. The Defining Moment of Donald Flack

Three days- how long it had been since Stella's date with Dobson.

Five members- how many people were in the crime lab right now.

Zero people- how many of them were named Stella.

Lindsay bit the inside of her lip as she watched Mac walk by the DNA Lab worriedly for what seemed to be the millionth time that morning. Danny looked up from what he was doing and stole a glance at her. "So, I take it Stella hasn't come back to the lab, or Mac hasn't gotten any phone calls from her," he stated. "You know, it is a little... weird that she hasn't come back yet."

"Much less get any calls from her cell or home phone. Mac hasn't gotten any sort of news on how Stella's doing, and he's been over at her house at breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner," Lindsay added, crossing her arms and groaning. "He's practically going into cardiac arrest without her around. And it's beginning to show- snapping at people, six cups of coffee in three hours, and everything else in between. I don't know if there is anyone that can really get through to him except maybe Stella right now. He's..." She stopped mid-sentence, shaking her head and turning back to their piece of evidence that killed Selena Maridel. "I don't know anymore. I just think we ought to keep out of his life for a couple of days. Maybe he should go home or something."

Danny gave a short laugh. "Right. Mac considers this place his second home, Montana. You put him in his apartment, he's start thinking not-so-great thoughts about Dobson and probably do something rash. You keep him here, he gets his mind focused on Stella. It's not really that great of a situation to be in for him- he's got a lot of dedication towards finding Stella right now.

Lindsay watched Mac storm past the DNA Lab again and sighed. "So what do you suggest?"

"We give Mac over to Don. Flack's the only one who can really reach into that place that Mac's isolated himself to. Trust me." Danny's eyes hardened. "If anyone can talk Mac out of his funk and focus on figuring out where Stella is, it's Don."

* * *

Don shut the door, keeping his hand on the door handle and scanning Mac with a wary eye. The CSI was looking about ready to explode at someone if he had the chance. Namely, more than likely Gerrard or Dobson or someone that got in his way to try and figure out a way to get back Stella. The NYPD detective didn't really know how to approach this situation- all he knew was that somehow Messer had managed to talk him into doing this. Oh wait a second- doughnuts. Messer offered him a dozen doughnuts if he managed to convince Mac to snap out of his 'really-ticked-off' mood.

Don couldn't resist food.

So here he stood, facing a pissed ex-Marine who had lost the girl of his dreams since Claire had died. Oh, this was going to be _really_ fun. He let out a slow breath and faced Mac, his fingers desperately trying to softly lock the door. "So, uh... the lab is a bit worried about your attitude right now."

Mac looked at Don raising an eyebrow, keeping his voice as level as possible. _"I_ have an attitude problem? I don't think anyone gets the seriousness of what's going on here. There's a CSI missing here, Don. I don't think I'm the one with an attitude problem."

"Look, Mac. Everyone's worried about what the hell has happened to Stella," his friend told him, deflating all-too-quickly. "We've just got different ways of going about showing it. You pacing like some sort of guard dog really isn't making life better here. We'd be busting our asses trying to save you if you were kidnapped. Why aren't you doing something to save Stella?"

The CSI turned around, his eyes beginning to smolder. "You don't think I'm scared about what's happening right now? Don, I'm more scared of what is going on with Stella right now than I did with bullets flyin' past my skull in Iraq."

Don stuffed his hands in his pockets. This was going to be harder than he thought- or easier, depending on if Mac would actually listen to what he had to say. "Come on. You've gotta have some idea where she is."

"Besides with Dobson?" he muttered angrily.

"It seems most reasonable, I know." _Come on, Don. THINK. _"I know about your love for Stella, Mac."

It seemed to have one of the most profound effects on Mac in quite a number of days. The man stopped looking out the window and turned to Don, who swallowed nervously. The smoldering seemed to have stopped. His voice was quiet, pained. "What do you know about it, Don?"

There was no point in lying. "I know every time you watch her walk by, you seem to be in a bit of a daze. Whenever she's involved in a police incident, you're always there to comfort her. And every single time, something bad happens and someone is involved- including her- you become a furious wave of love and passion and everything else known to mankind. I think that's why Dobson took Stella from you. Now this is just speculation, Mac, but my guess is that he actually _does_ think she's beautiful, but he's going about it all the wrong way. Learning you didn't make a move on her, he did instead... and recognized the fact that he's also wanted back in jail for the murder of Maridel.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he wants to make a deal with you or something. More than likely, it's going to be something like... you don't arrest him for the girl's murder, he won't harm Stella." Don crossed his arms. "And now you have the chance to lash back at me, Mac."

The detective waited for the backlash to come. He had braced himself and was now waiting for his best friend to tear the life out of him verbally.

But nothing came.

Mac sagged into the chair, putting his head in his hand. He had been putting too much energy into his worrying and not enough into his search for Stella. It was all just a simple game of connect-the-dots in Don's mind. And he wished he had seen it that way sooner. He looked at Don, a sunken and anguished look in his eyes. "I've been doing too much in the way of worry and anger," he admitted to his friend quietly. "And I've nearly been taking everything out on everyone else. I'm sorry, Don."

"It's all right. We all have our really bad weeks. Yours is just occurring right now." Don uncrossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Now..."

The detective's phone went off. He blinked and picked it up. "Detective Flack..." Silence. His face paled over. "Shit," he swore under his breath. "Where?"

After a few moments, he snapped his phone shut. He turned to Mac, who frowned. "What happened, Don?"

The next words pierced through his heart like an icy dagger.

"It's Stella. They found her at Dobson's place, Mac."

* * *

**I had to cliffie it! You'll come back and see what happens next! Whether or not it's good or bad... -shrugs- Anyways, reviews are nice, and thanks for the continual faving, reviewing, and alerting! I owe you all a lot. Five chapters left... yes, you may now begin to start wailing and predicting the ending.**


	16. Stella

**I think I nearly died from that cliffhanger I gave you guys. No need to attack me head on! Oh, and another thing... I think the fic is going to be shorter than I planned. I really don't have any idea now how the heck I will fit in more chapters than I planned. But I'll do what I can to wrap this up!**

**Thanks for the kind reviews** lily moonlight, Lost in New York, Wizard-in-Disguise, chrysalis escapist, greyslostwho, shopping-luva91, VaveAma92, CSIBabs, Blue Shadowdancer, Technolicious-xo

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Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
TEREBI keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o miteite yo

_-Hikari, Hikaru Utada_

* * *

16. Stella

The first thing she heard was the sound of her own ragged breathing. It was erratic, painful, full of terror. As she opened her eyes as best as she could without screaming out in pain, she tried to figure out what time it was. Her internal clock seemed to be completely off balance now, as she had no idea where she now was. After Dobson's so-called "fling" with her, she could not help but feel a sick feeling gnawing at her innards. When she finally opened her eyes, her blood froze. She was still in the bedroom, still exposed with merely her undergarments on her body. Pain roared through her body, and she began to remember what had happened. Slowly, Stella felt her pride peeling off her personality. Dobson was...

He was a monster.

She looked down at her arms and legs, feeling tears well up in her eyes and disgust replacing the pain. She felt like a dog toy- chewed up, used for a certain amount of time, then soon left forgotten by the owner. And usually, dog toys were more or less disposed of. Thrown in the trash, left for little dust-mites and such. But she knew she wouldn't be forgotten. No, Dobson would probably come back tonight and maybe finish her off. He had his fun with her, just like he did the other innocent victims that he ruthlessly killed. And she even knew what was going to happen if help didn't arrive.

No, wait. Not _if_ help arrived. _When_ help arrived. She had made a shaky call out hours ago after Dobson was asleep.

And now, here she was, on the third day of being missing at seven-thirty at night, beginning to shake and trying to stay calm for whence the man would reappear.

Banging on the door was heard. Stella pulled up the covers over her body and took a deep breath, feeling the tears stream down her face and mix with her own blood. She couldn't be seen like this, but she knew if Dobson did actually enter the house and saw her with clothing on, she knew she was doomed with what might have seemed like an eternity. Her voice was hoarse, dried out- she could barely even whisper. "Who's there?" she tried to say.

More banging. "Dobson, NYPD! Open this door, _now!"_

Her body froze over. Oh, my god.

It was Mac.

The door suddenly burst open, and footsteps were heard storming inside the building. Stella swallowed as best as she could and kept the blanket around her body. She couldn't let him see her like this. She had to do something about her appearance. It didn't matter what she did- Stella just didn't want her best friend and coworker to find her in this shape. The footsteps grew closer and closer, and the blanket wrapped tighter and tighter around her body. Her breathing became faster, her heart pounding...

The door was suddenly wrenched open, and Mac was suddenly staring inside the room, the gun in front of him, his eyes full of furious fear. His eyes landed on Stella, who turned away in shame and shook her head. "You don't want to come any closer," she whispered as loudly as she could. "I'm an utter wreck."

Mac put the gun away and rushed over to the woman on the bed, sitting next to her and putting his hand on the sheets. She looked so vulnerable, so sunken-eyed- Mac had never seen _his_ Stella in this shape before. While Don and the others searched the premises for any signs of the serial killer, Mac sat with the female CSI and gave her the most sympathetic look he could muster. "Stell. What did he do to you?"

The woman shook her head, looking down at the sheets. "I don't want to say right now, Mac. It's too..."

His hands suddenly were on her face. His eyes were calming and gentle, but there was a strange fire beginning to simmer. "I know you don't want to say it, Stell. But if we're going to charge him with murder, we have to know the facts. The raw hard facts." His voice became soft, cracked. "I need to know, Stell. I need to know so he can never hurt you again."

She had never heard Mac's tone this soft before. Ever. Not even with victims. And she knew he would keep his promise. The one night they once spent together outside the lab listening to the a cappella group sing was the night she knew he meant every word he ever said to her. The woman took a deep shuddering breath and took off her blanket, exposing her whole body.

The man merely sat there, his breathing becoming louder and more frenzied. Stella's body was nearly completely covered in bruises and scars and scratches. Her face was still bloodied, her eyes looking nearly dead. She shook her head and began to shake her shoulders with deep, wracking sobs. "Look at me," she spluttered to him, giving a slightly bitter laugh. "I'm just... I'm... I've completely shattered, Mac. I'm a total..."

The ex-Marine suddenly wrapped his arms around Stella and embraced her as best as he could without injuring her. HIs voice was choked with emotion. "I never thought I'd find you again, Stell. I've been a total wreck without you these past few days. Everything was just going out of control, and I... well, I lost my head a bit."

"Did you find your sanity again?" she tried to say, still sobbing.

"No. But I did find you."

Stella blinked, some of her tears still intermixing with blood. "What?"

Mac wiped away some of the liquid from her face. "I found you again, Stella. I thought I had lost you forever, and well... I'm so happy I've found you." He fought back his own tears. "I... I've figured something out, Stella. I've- I've loved you for the longest time."

The woman looked away. "Love me, Mac?"

"I love you, Stell," he muttered, pushing some of her hair back, some of the tears running down his face. "_I love you, Stella."_

She shook again. "What about- what about _him?"_

The man looked in her eyes, and she saw determination- determination to keep her safe from harm. "He won't ever hurt you anymore, Stella. I promise."

He embraced her tightly once again, his eyes now flaming like a wildfire. 'I'll never let him hurt you again, Stella. That's a promise I will keep. And if I have to _die_ to do it, then I will.'

* * *

**Before you all mob me and stone me to death, I'm only going to say that Mac doesn't die. That is all. -runs away in terror-**


	17. The Source of Love

**Okay, then… -looks rather flustered- You guys are seriously making me feel really fuzzy inside with this story. I won't go into details until the end, but let's keep it at "most successful story I have ever written."**

**-ciings to **lily moonlight**- MINE. She helped with the block. GO THANK HER.**

**Thanks for those reviews** lily moonlight, chrysalis escapist, SciFiNutAlways1999, Wizard-in-Disguise, Mindless Image, Lost in New York, shopping-luva91, ImaSupernaturalCSI, CSI Junkie Aly, Blue Shadowdancer, Technolicious-xo, greyslostwho, Rayclash

* * *

17. The Source of Love

The ride to the hospital was long and agonizing for the CSI as he watched Stella use the breathing apparatus. The doctors muttered amongst themselves and took notes, all while keeping their eyes trained on the police officer in front of them. Mac didn't feel the bumps in the road, nor did he think about anything else but the pain and terror she must have been through these past three days that he had noticed her missing. His hand interlinked with hers, closing his eyes.

_'Stella… please be okay when we get there. I know you can stay alive.'_

* * *

The hospital was busy, but the doctors had allowed Mac to come with the team and be by Stella's bedside for a bit. As the older male gripped his best friend's hand tightly, he could have sworn he saw another person watching them go by with a disgusted look on his face. His blood began to simmer, but he followed the group and squeezed Stella's hand. He slipped away for a moment, seeing Don and the others and walking over to them.

Don squeezed his own arm in worry, watching the gurney roll by. "Did Dobson do that to her? I outta tear the life out of that man starting with…"

Mac didn't say anything, simply watching her pass and shaking his head in despair and depression. "I couldn't save her from him. Don, just look at me. What kind of friend am I if I can't even save the woman I really love? I feel just…" He felt Lindsay wrap her arm around him as best as he could.

As much as Mac wanted to have Lindsay embrace him like a caring mother as she was doing right now, he shrugged her off and nodded his head to the room. "I'm going to go and see her for something. And I have a bad feeling about all of this right now." He could feel the eyes of his teammates watching him as he walked away, lost in thought.

Danny bit his lip. "He's not very normal right now."

"Thanks for the thought," Lindsay replied sarcastically, crossing her arms and watching her boss to go his teammate's room. "What are we going to do here?"

Don watched his friend walk away and turned to the coffee station on the side wall. "I say we wait. Mac is still feeling the effects of a few minutes ago, and he needs some alone time _by himself._ It's kind of…" His words trailed off as his eyes watched a familiar figure walk to Stella's room. "And he's not going to be alone for a bit."

Lindsay watched his eyes and moaned softly. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

Her New York "boyfriend" snorted. "Probably here to annoy Mac. You think we should do anything?"

Don shook his head. "No. Let's watch and see where this goes."

And deep down, he was hoping and praying that Stella's unwelcome visitor was going to get special treatment from someone else in the room.

* * *

Mac stood by her bedside as the doctors left one after another. Dr. Thompson, the one who was going to be Stella's personal doctor in this time of need, approached Mac and put a hand on his shoulder. "Stella is going to be okay," he assured the CSI, nodding his head and gesturing to her sleeping body. "It might be a while before she truly does come back to herself. She seems to have been through a terrible ordeal."

He nodded, not really listening to his words. The only image that flashed through his mind was that of Stella on the bed and looking so vulnerable. He sat down in a chair next to her bedside, feeling emotional rage well up inside of him. As he clutched her hand, he heard the door open. Mac didn't even turn his head, not caring to see who had come in. He had a feeling he wouldn't like what he saw, anyways.

The voice he heard confirmed everything.

"She's alive."

Mac could feel the tension in the room rise at an exponential rate. As he continued to hold her hand, his other hand slid closer and closer to the gun sitting neatly in his holster. He kept his voice low, feeling the adrenaline in his body begin to race. "I'm surprised you decided to actually show your face here," he told the other man flatly. "After everything that has happened and all."

Gerrard merely shrugged and stood against the wall. "So I can't come and visit a team member of the lab in the hospital, Taylor? That's just downright cold. I'm your superior and everything, so that…"

Mac gritted his teeth and forced himself not to leap out of his chair and pull his gun on the inspector right then and there. Instead, he slowly turned around and regarded the man coolly, not even bothering to acknowledge the fact yet that he was halfway to blame for what had happened to the woman before him. His words were shaky the threat evident. "You had better shut up before I make you."

"Is that a threat?" the inspector questioned, a hint of glee in his tone.

The CSI stood up, his eyes flaring. "It's a promise."

Inspector and Crime Scene Investigator stared at each other for a long moment. Mac began to clench his fist, swallowing and feeling a sort of dizziness overtake him.

Gerrard was just _taunting _him. He could tell. The ex-Marine didn't move, sweat beginning to form on his forehead. It was a rule of thumb- wait for your opponent to make a move, and then counterattack. And it didn't matter if it was a simple hand gesture or what. Mac was in no mood for any mind games- or other games, for that matter- from this man. He was done. He wasn't going to take it anymore.

As soon as the inspector moved for Stella on the bed, Mac's instincts took over. He took three steps forward and landed a fist square across the face. Gerrard winced, but he was given no time to react. In a flash, Mac had grabbed his arm, twisted him around, and slammed him against the wall. The gun was in his hand a moment later and pointed right at Gerrard's neck. "Now, you're going to admit it."

"Admit what?" the superior scoffed.

Mac pressed the gun muzzle against his neck ever so slightly. "You were in on the whole thing with her. Damn it, you had better tell me the truth, or so help me… I will pull the trigger right now."

Gerrard's eyes widened. "_You wouldn't._"

"I might." Mac's voice was quiet. "Tell me- did you ever intend on having Stella like this?"

He grimaced. "Well, uh…"

The gun barrel seemed to be attracted to the vein in Gerrard's neck.

"Okay, okay. I wanted to make sure Dobson tortured her enough to make her wish she was dead. That's it- I've had enough of a grudge against you for a while to want to do some not-so-nice things. My only thought was to make sure I saw both you and her suffer. You've got everything, Taylor. And I've got nothing. _Absolutely nothing."_

Mac couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was all a stupid thing about revenge? The one he loved was in a hospital bed because of _revenge?_ The man honestly considered pulling the trigger right there.

And he would have, had not a weak voice from the bed intervened.

"It's not worth it, Mac," Stella suddenly whispered, coughing violently soon after.

He whirled around, stunned, and rushed over to her bedside. His eyes widened as he saw Stella moan and open her eyes, giving Mac a weak smile. He clutched her hand, feeling relief and love wash over his body. "Oh, my god. Stella… you're…"

She shook her head slowly. "Listen. I know you want to blame Gerrard for all of this, and I don't blame you one bit. But killing him isn't going to get you anywhere. Yes, I know it might make you feel better, but that isn't the way to go. You've got to go straight for the source of your despair and depression. And if you look deep inside yourself, you can find that source."

Mac looked down at his love, eyes blurring slightly with anger and sadness. "Stella…"

She smiled wearily. "But you know what you can do for me?"

He nodded a little, his eyes hardening once more. "Yeah."

Mac gave Gerrard a quick glance. The older man was snorting to himself under his breath. The ex-Marine suddenly shoved him into the wall and stared point-blank into his eyes. "_Don't. Touch. Her._ Got it?"

The sudden fear of death in Gerrard's eyes was more than a satisfactory answer for Mac. He let go of the deputy and walked out the door, hearing footsteps behind him and seeing Don walk up to him. He gave him the subtlest of nods. "I'm going."

Don knew there was nothing he could do to stop his best friend of doing this personal mission now. He nodded. "I'll keep watch," he told his best friend.

Mac gave a slight smile. "Thanks," he whispered.

And with a turn on his heels and a source of raw anger fueling his blood, Mac set off to do what he knew must be done.

* * *

**NGH. I commend you all for reading this chapter. I dunno how you did, but you made it. I'm almost done with the fic, and I don't know whether to be relieved or saddened. Anyways, I'll take reviews. If you made it to this point in the fic, kudos. –bows before you all-**


	18. Angel of Death

**Sorry about the lack of updates on this thing. But I did swear I would get this done before tackling another New York fic. Promise.**

**Thanks for the kind reviews **shopping-luva91, FernClaw, SciFiNutAlways1999, laurence0311, Bonasera, lily moonlight, Carrro, Wizard-in-Disguise, CSIBabs, Lost in New York, theAlyCat, ImaSupernaturalCSI, chrysalis escapist, RayClash, TishMaychelleChin, Blue Shadowdancer

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18. Angel of Death

A serial killer's natural habitat is always different than a regular killer's one. Serials always have a specific place where they kill their victims. There's a distinct signature they always use. Whether it is the way of Clay Dobson and cutting off girl's eyelids or just a spot similar to the last death that someone did, like in a bedroom… it didn't matter. Serials always kept something constant; they learned from their mistakes, too. The scenes either became cleaner or more gruesome. Regular killers made a rash kill and ran for it. No pattern to search for- just evidence and clues.

This is also applied to a detective and a crime scene investigator. The CSI is always comfortable in the field. They want to find anything and everything out of place. They were taught that way- find the littlest detail. Detectives make their life in the station, catching criminals when they can and sealing them away in jail. They interrogate, get information when and however they can… sometimes. Different methods, sometimes the same people.

This can be applied to the serial killer and justice-driven CSI. Sort of.

Dobson wanted love, compassion, and women. He was willing to do almost anything to satisfy his want for revenge. He wanted to get it across Taylor's face that he had won. He had gotten out of jail. And now he could continue what he had started- the ultimate death and sacrifice of human life. Women didn't want him; he would destroy them for good. He would _make_ them watch him die. The scalpel would cut flesh with chilling ease. He would listen to their screams of mercy.

And then silence.

Mac Taylor wanted justice delivered to those who were killers, sadistic serials, and everything in between. He would do anything to help the deceased, aid the living, and rescue the helpless. Some people called him an angel for many reasons- he was fiercely dedicated to his job. He loved his work most of the time. He wanted to do everything he could to keep Manhattan safe.

But with Dobson came a new layer of protection. A sort of silent prayer of hope that he would not fail to not protect any more people.

No more would he allow Dobson to kill the innocent.

The innocence of silence was so powerful now.

His hands gripped the wheel. Eyes stared straight ahead, breathing moving with earth's clock. He could feel nothing but hatred and despair as he drove to the house of where he had kept Stella captive. Mac knew that all serials were good, but there was one quality about them that they all shared in common: they would all return to the scene of the crime some time or another. Made no difference- they needed to know if their job was done or had been cleaned away.

The job had been cleaned away completely. There was no room for error anymore. Dobson was going to have to face the consequences for both murder and stalking.

Mac felt tears leak from his eyes. He hadn't been strong enough before. He had never been this weak before, never thought about confronting a killer in this manner. He stopped at a red light, his head smacking the leather of the vehicle.

"Shit…" he mumbled angrily. "Why?"

* * *

The room was silent, clean of his work. Dobson crossed his arms and glared at the bedroom, feeling anger rising in his chest. She was gone- she had told someone. Now he couldn't finish her. He wasn't able to finish what he had started and had broken his promise to himself. He had failed to steal Stella Bonasera from under Taylor's nose.

Dobson sank into a couch and scratched his head, taking out a scalpel. His lips curled into a sort of wicked smile, a chill rushing down his spine. He knew that the detective would come back to check the scene. He had to- it was in their nature. And when he came back, he would be waiting. He'd have an explanation for the cold-blooded murder of Selina. There'd be no option.

He didn't plan on going to jail.

* * *

He flashed the badge to the apartment woman and kept his gun out, preceding the climb the stairs. His blood was beginning to pump adrenaline, but he forced himself to stay calm. There was no way this was going to be pretty. Serials never wanted to go quietly- more like out with a bang or a stab. Quietly, he climbed the endless stairwell, a sort of angelic feeling taking control of his movements.

Majestic, dutiful, justified…

Mac finally reached the top, his hand opening the door quietly to the floor. He looked down at the floor for a moment before finally walking inside.

There was no more fear. Only serene aggression.

The weapon was only in one hand now. As he looked straight ahead, the adrenaline only thickening in his bloodstream. There was a sudden wave of dizziness that overcame the CSI, but he quickly pushed it away, finally approaching the destination of a lone door on the right side of the hallway. He stared at it for several long moments before turning away momentarily.

It had all come down to this. He knew Dobson was in there. There was no doubting the calm killer's aura in that room.

Taking a deep breath, his hand gripped the door handle. It turned with a slow creak. He pushed it open and looked inside the room, his eyes locking on the couch and the man sitting there expectantly. Mac's voice sounded odd- strained, thin. "You came back. You know, you shouldn't have."

Dobson's voice sounded quietly vicious. "I agree completely."

Mac shut the door with one hand, his eyes trained on the bald male on the couch. The smell of death filled his nostrils. "This ends now."

"Yes, it does."

Silence. So filled with energy, so calm. The CSI holstered the weapon.

"Y'know, I did it for a reason."

Mac merely glared at Dobson with unfiltered hatred.

"They never loved me. Stella was willing to give me a chance. She was prepared to take the consequences. She wanted to protect you from me. Stella knew that you'd come after me if you found out." Dobson cocked his head, a smile cracking his features. "Funny how one woman's love can totally destroy the life between two people, isn't it? You loved her; I know you did. It was as plain as the sun in the sky."

Fury dripped from his voice. "Shut up."

Clearly, Dobson was enjoying this. "Admit it, _Mac._ You came back here to arrest me or beat the shit out of me. You won't be in denial then."

Mac looked away, down towards the carpet that seemed to scream her name. He felt tears come from his eyes again. He was no angel. He was in denial. He had always been in denial. It was the simple truth.

He loved Stella. And he was not going to let this sadist touch her ever again.

The ex-Marine looked at the serial, his eyes suddenly aflame. _"Shut up,"_ he ground out.

"Going to arrest me?"

Mac snarled incoherently and suddenly dove for the serial killer on the other side of the room. There was no time for blinking. Immediately, the killer was on the floor, clamoring to his feet and trying to grab the scalpel on the couch. Mac grabbed Dobson's wrist and shut his eyes, twisting it as hard as he could. A howl of pain brought little satisfaction to him, though. He felt war adrenaline overtaking him again.

And suddenly, it was like all sense of humanity left him.

Death… the angel of death…

Dobson backhanded Mac to the face and shoved himself free of the man in agony. He scrambled to his feet and shook his head. "Taylor, you are insane!"

"That's what _you _think!"

Mac gritted his teeth. He clenched a fist and pulled himself to his feet as well, standing and facing Dobson. "You listen to me _very carefully._ I'm going to make sure you had never even laid eyes on Stella so long as there is a single breath of oxygen in my body."

The killer grinned. "Really?"

The CSI suddenly didn't care anymore. He whipped out his gun, eyes shooting daggers. His finger trembled on the trigger, head spinning. He could shoot him right then. He was ready to shoot him.

But then, something happened.

Dobson backed away. Mac didn't know what he had done, but he didn't care.

What he didn't realize was that he had done nothing. The serial had begun hallucinating.

Instead of Mac with a gun was a large figure with black wings and a sword around four feet. He glared at the serial killer. It had the presence of the CSI, the same build, the same appearance- except he looked as if he could impale him in one fell swoop. His lips moved, a deep voice coming forth. "Get on the ground _right now."_

Dobson shook his head. "Sh-shut up! No! You can't make me!"

"I _will_ make you, Dobson."

Mac gripped the gun tightly. Dobson had this wild look in his eyes- on the verge of sudden insanity. Giving a wicked smile, he grabbed the scalpel off the table and pointed it at Mac. "You might be the angel of death, Taylor, but hey! Who knows! No one has ever tried to kill an angel! No one but _me!"_

Mac stared at the man. What the hell?!

Dobson snapped his wrist and flipped the knife straight at the detective, who immediately ducked to the side. The knife sailed past his head harmlessly, allowing a split second of stunned reaction time. And that was all both men needed. Within this nanosecond of life, Mac dropped his weapon and watched Dobson lunge for him in the process.

The CSI clenched his fist and brought it directly into the solar plexus.

Dobson stopped in mid-air, dropping to the floor suddenly and gasping for air. Immediately, Mac was on top of him, gripping him by the arms and holding him against the scratchy carpet. His voice was soft and deadly. "And stay down. Or so help me, God, I will shoot you, Dobson."

"There are more of us out there!" he rasped in triumph. "I can get others to do work for me!"

Mac grabbed the gun and nuzzled the barrel into Dobson's neck. "And I'm going to find every single one of them."

"Are you the real angel of death?"

Mac snapped the handcuffs on Dobson's wrists. His mind was torn with the question.

It was one he knew he couldn't answer.

* * *

**Um... yeah. WOW. Jeez, how do I explain the angel thing? -scratches head- I was listening to "Angels" by Within Temptation while doing this chapter, too. I suddenly had this image of Mac maybe being an angel of death or something... YES, I am completely sane. To some people. RIGHT. Okay, how'd I do? Almost there, you guys! Two chapters!**

**And now you finally know what the title means. The innocence of silence...**


	19. Inner Peace

**Weird sort of chapter. Not much action- just explanation.**

**Oh, yeah- does anyone know if they really _DO _****use a Blackberry as their means of a cell phone in NY? **

**Thanks for reviewing** MissLizzymizzy, FernClaw, CSIBabs, ImaSupernaturalCSI, Lost in New York, theAlyCat, lily moonlight, Wizard-in-Disguise, BabylovesMaverick, Jennifer, Azurite, Blue Shadowdancer

* * *

19. Inner Peace

Uneventful- that's what the drive to the station was. Nothing more.

Mac didn't speak the entire time, keeping his eyes on the road and keeping a carefully blank expression on his face. The less Dobson saw on his face, the better. It was frightening how quiet the vehicle was with merely the engine buzzing and the static of the radio in the background between two very tense companions. Neither man was very happy with himself, to say the least; it was also true that neither killer nor CSI wanted to show this on their face.

Keeping emotions to himself was something Mac was _definitely_ not good with right now. He glared at the traffic in front of him and bit his lip slightly, left foot impatiently tapping the ground. _'Keep your cool,'_ he thought to himself, wiping his forehead with a hand and forcing his thoughts to stay on the road ahead of him. _'If he asks you something, just don't reply.'_

Dobson mumbled something under his breath. Mac kept a steely-eyed glare on the road ahead of him.

* * *

Don glanced down at his phone. He should've been back by now. Heaven and hell forbid he didn't get Dobson back at where they found Stella… he sighed as his Blackberry rang in his pocket, and he fished around for it quietly. His back rested gently on the hospital wall, his voice tired. "Detective Flack."

_"Don, it's me."_ Mac's voice gave the detective a welcoming wash of relief over his body. _"Dobson's at the station. And so am I."_

The man's face broke into a huge smile. "Mac, that's… that's great! Really, that's the best news I've heard in a long time." He frowned. "But you… you sound really exasperated. Tired." His voice suddenly morphed from excited to concerned. "What happened, Mac? Did Dobson escape?"

The CSI made his voice monotonous. "_I'm coming to the hospital. Tell you when I get there."_

Don heard the other end of the line click and blinked, looking down at his phone. His eyes turned to the room where Stella lay, his heart tearing itself inside and out. It was crazy how one stupid move on the part of a cop could release a serial killer back into the world and allow him to wreck havoc upon the city. He crossed his arms, staring at the body and shaking his head to himself when he saw Adam walking down the hallway to meet him.

Wait. Adam?

The detective frowned as the lab tech approached him. "What are you doing here?"

Adam scratched his head and gave a sheepish sort of bowing of his head. "Uh… It's about Selina."

"Go on."

The lab tech tried to find the right words, but they just would not come out right. Adam looked inside the window and crossed his arms. "Well, Selina… she was murdered by Dobson indefinitely. I just wanted to tell Mac, but then I came here and I saw you looking inside the window. Is Stella…" He swallowed. "Is Stella gonna be okay?"

Don nodded. "Yeah. She'll pull through. But I don't think she'll ever be the same again. After what happened, I really don't think things between her and Mac will be the same, either. It's weird." He wrinkled his brow. "They had a connection before, but now, they're bonded like nothing I've ever seen."

"Are they ever going to go out?" Adam asked.

The detective opened his mouth, but nothing could come out. He gave the other man an incredulous look, and Adam returned the look with perfect seriousness. He hadn't actually thought about the question, to be honest. Don scratched his head Adam-style. "Uh, you might want to ask Mac about that one, Adam. Can't say I know for a fact if that will ever happen. Although…"

Adam intervened again. "I think they should."

Don raised an eyebrow. This kid was definitely intuitive in both the lab _and_ life in general.

He crossed his arms, spotting a distinctly exhausted Mac walking down the hallway. He nodded to the lab tech to turn around, implying the other man's coming, and Adam obeyed. The trio of men stood there for a couple of moments, not saying a word to each other before Mac finally spoke.

"Dobson's going back to jail for a while."

Adam looked at the floor awkwardly. "You don't sound…"

"Happy?" Mac gave the lab technician a very exhausted smile. "I'm beyond relieved. I just have to take care of one more thing."

The detective looked at Adam, who wore a puzzled expression. He nodded his head towards the window, and he glanced inside. Gerrard was still standing in the room, appearing to mumble under his breath or something. Mac merely stood outside the door, crossing his arms and taking a deep breath. Don and Adam exchanged glances. This was either gong to turn into a slugfest or a yell fest. Either way, they didn't want to stick around for the fireworks.

Adam glanced at his friend hopefully. "Coffee? Or something...?"

"It's on me!" Don agreed gratefully, seizing the opportunity and nodding. He gave Mac a nod of approval and a small smile that seemed to emphasize the liking of what he was about to do.

* * *

He glanced inside the window and opened the door, giving Gerrard a sort of tired glare. There were no words exchanged between the men for several tense moments, just a simple stare down between two men who really weren't fond of each other. Quietly, Mac moved to the side of Stella's bed and stroked her cheek, watching her chest move up and down slowly. He felt a sort of inner peace strike the chords in his heart as he allowed his hand to rest there.

"So you saved the city, huh?"

The ex-Marine turned around to see the agent still standing there, arms crossed. "And if I did?"

Gerrard smirked nonchalantly. "I'm impressed. You did it. I seriously thought you wouldn't for a couple of moments. I mean, with Dobson being an ass and everything… look at you. Saved the girl, got the bad guy- it's like the end of a movie, don't you think?

Mac gave his foe a steady glare. "If you are honestly hoping to try and get me to make some dumb move, think again, Stan. Game is over. Dobson's going to jail."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The CSI faced the man completely now. "Look. I've got evidence on you that can turn your career not only in the NYPD upside down, but your political show would be completely finished. There's no more reason to play dumb. Just fold. There's no point in playing your secret card now, Gerrard." His voice was becoming more irritated. "Can't you just accept the fact?"

The agent said nothing, merely glaring at Mac with those dull eyes of him. No life whatsoever.

Finally, he leaned off the wall and walked up to the CSI, who didn't move a muscle. His eyes bore into Mac's, his voice quiet. "I swear, Taylor- this is going to come back and haunt you in the future. And I will make sure of it. You can't hide this incident in your past forever. It's going to be on your record in some form or another. I know it will."

Mac just stared right back into Gerrard's eyes, finally nodding slowly and moving his own lips. "I know."

The older male just turned his back and left the room, slamming the door behind him with resonating force. Mac just stood there and looked down at Stella.

She looked so peaceful, so solitary, so… in need of love.

Mac saw a chair in the corner and walked over to it, pulling it up next to her bedside and slipping his hand into hers.

At last, it seemed like he had found peace.

* * *

**Sorry for the funny chapter. Adam makes one more appearance for **ImaSupernaturalCSI.

**Wow. I bet you were not expecting an update so soon. Well, you know what that means. Next chapter, I'm letting this baby go. It's sad. My first multi-chapter New York fiction ever. I'm impressed this even got done. It collected dust for three months at one point, but you all stuck with it. Don't worry, when I say "you all"- you'll know what I mean in the last chapter.**


	20. Finale: Duty and Friendship

**I am TOTALLY going to go and cry now…**

**Final thanks for those reviews** theAlyCat, CSIBabs, FernClaw, shopping-luva91, ImaSupernaturalCSI, StellaTaylor16, lily moonlight, Wizard-in-Disguise

* * *

20. Finale: Duty and Friendship

_Three weeks later, the Crime Lab…_

"You okay?"

Mac glanced at Stella and looked down at the papers on his desk. "I'm fine. Just looking over these papers that Sinclair managed to stuff into my inbox over the past couple of weeks. He's recommended me for two weeks vacation, have me fired, put me on suspended pay- I'm having a hard time figuring out which one is which. Does he want me to do the oldest first, the newest first…? It's just a big pile of crap right now."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don said that Sinclair got on his butt about how you were holding up after the trial and everything. Said he was curious about how I was doing, too. Quite annoying, unfortunately."

The retired military officer quit flipping through the papers. It was true that Dobson had practically gotten the life sentence for all the wrongs he had committed. For some reason, though, Mac still wasn't satisfied. He couldn't explain the feeling he had welling up as the judge read the verdict. It was just… it was something he just unhappy with. Stella was relieved that things were finally done and gone, but Mac knew that this was probably going to be the beginning of a time of healing.

He was more right than he thought he was.

"Mac?"

He snapped out of his daze and went around the desk, giving Stella a tired smile. "Sorry."

She cocked her head and crossed her arms. "What are you thinking about? Not the trial again, right?"

There was a knock on wood, and both teammates looked at the door. Don stood there, leaning up against it and grinning. "What are you two doing?"

"Talking," Mac replied, shrugging. "What about you?"

Don jerked his thumb behind him. "Chief wants a word with you, pronto."

Sighing, the crime scene investigator glanced at his companion and stole one look at Stella before leaving the office and traveling down the hallway. The place was alive with chatter of new crime scenes and old tales from when he first came to the lab. His mind blocked out everything, though, as he made his way to the other office inside the lab. There was an odd sort of churning in his stomach as he finally reached the door and stood outside for a couple of moments.

What could Sinclair want with him now?

Mac took a deep breath and opened the door, glancing inside and seeing Sinclair sit at his desk. The African American was flipping through a pile of papers and glanced up from his work, gesturing to the investigator to shut the door. "Sit, Taylor," he told him firmly. "I've got some words to say to you, and you are _not_ going to like them."

"Look, Chief…"

Sinclair narrowed his eyes. "No, just listen to me this time. You don't talk, this will be a LOT quicker than you hope."

Mac shut his mouth, merely giving the man that glare he had grown so accustomed to seeing. He couldn't help but notice the look of pain in the chief's eyes. The ex-Marine simply nodded and allowed the other man to speak his mind.

"Look. I know you and Bonasera want to have a thing together, but you just… you can't. Romance isn't allowed in the office, Taylor, and you know that." Sinclair put his elbows on the desk, head resting in his palms. "However, due to extenuating circumstances, recent behavior in the lab, and a lab tech coming to me and explaining the whole story… I think I can permit this incident just once."

The CSI blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sinclair finally chuckled, shaking his head. "You and Bonasera are on mandatory leave for two weeks."

"What?"

"You heard me, Mac. Starting right now, I want you and Stella to leave the crime lab on paid vacation." The chief ran his fingers through his little bit of hair, even cracking a bit of a smile. "I really think you two need it. The Dobson affair was just something that really threw you all for a loop, and well…" He leaned back. "I must admit. It's kind of cute seeing you two together- like high school crushes or something."

Mac felt his face blush.

Sinclair waved him away. "Go. I know you want to get to know her more."

"Chief, why are you doing this?"

He shrugged. "Because one, I want you out of the lab. Seeing you brooding still and having some emotion affect your job is starting to tee me off. And secondly, I didn't ask for it. In fact, I didn't even want it. But Don and that lab tech named Adam Ross thought it would be best for you both."

Mac turned to the door and saw Adam grinning and waving from outside the room. The CSI stood up and returned the smile, glancing back at Sinclair. "So…"

"Out, Taylor! I don't want to see your face in here for two weeks!"

He left the room and merely looked at the lab tech for eseveral moments. Adam rocked on the balls of his feet. "M-Mac? You okay?"

Without warning, Mac took Adam in a warm embrace. Stunned, Adam's eyes widened. "Uh, I think that's a yes."

"Mac?"

Stella's confused voice was heard, and she walked up to the two men embraced in a strange sort of man-hug. She raised an eyebrow and gave a slight grin at the sight of Adam's expression. "What happened? I hope I'm not…"

The CSI smiled. "Stella…"

Adam managed to get himself out of Mac's grasp and glanced between the two people, scratching his head and appearing sheepish. "I guess I'll, uh, leave you two alone now."

With this, he scurried off in the other direction.

Stella looked back at where he had run to. "What happened?"

Mac gave a soft smile, his hand slipping into Stella's. She pulled in ever so slightly and brought herself eye to eye with the man who had protected her, saved her from a nightmare of the past. Her gaze met his, serene blue meeting war-weary cerulean.

"Let's get lost," he muttered in her ear, embracing her tightly.

Stella didn't object. After all, she was with a lover she thought she would never have.

Silence only existed between them now as they walked arm in arm to the elevator. And the innocence of it was all that was needed.

The innocence of silence showed the reality of true love.

* * *

**Wow. I cannot believe this is completed… All right, thanks time! I only wish I could list all of you who faved and alerted this fic. –sniffles- But that would take too long and too much space. **

**Your reviews have meant so much to me… **clairec12344, Melface, shawdoo, magic-munchies, VaveAma92, jules1031, none, AK-tiger, BabylovesMaverick, Azurite, Lionessmon, Tonks, Carrro, ImaSupernaturalCSI, JoSchomo666, ritagarcia45, Stella Taylor16, cryingblacktears, Scorpii, ForensicsFreak1988, csidle, lily moon, EmilyProctorslittleiglrl, Murgy31, xXxKissMeKatexXx, CSIBabs, xoCathandLivexo, Lilly Taylor, greyslostwho, chrysalis escapist, Bonasera, special agent kibbs, SciFiNutAlways1999, lily moonlight, Blue Shadowdancer, Mouse, JFuzz, shopping-luva91, iluvcsi4ever, FernClaw, Matt, Wizard-in-Disguise, Hope06, Lost in New York, theAlyCat, Mindless Image, Rayclash, laurence0311, TishMaychelleChin, MissLizzymizzy, Jennifer

ImaSupernaturalCSI- **You who have helped keep me on the path of this fic as best as you could. I owe you so much. Really. It's been so nice having you review this story. I can't believe you kept up with it until the end.**

lily moonlight- **Words are not able to describe the amount of love I give you for reading this. You're such a big name in this place now, and it's just amazing that I saw you turn into the authoress you are now. –stupid grin- You've inspired me, and now you're going to give me aid on a certain fic with the devil in it. Oh, man…**

**Simplest fact is- I really enjoy this fic, but it's time to pass on to more important and epic fictions. I'm not out of here yet. Soon, I will be posting a fiction called "Lucifer's Massacre," and I plan on making it SMacked as well. Keep your eyes peeled. I'm hoping you guys will love it.**

**Love to you all! Reviews are enjoyed. Thanks for everything! –Shining Zephyr-**

**Words: **27,189 - **Chapters: **20 - **Reviews: **183 - **Hits: **17,043 - **C2s:** 1 - **Favs:** 27 - **Alerts:** 44


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